A World Without Heroes
by Dylan Clearbrook
Summary: The 12 chapter story introducing the Otherverse. Chapters 5 and 7 were actually written by a guest writer named Jason Froikin from the "Supergirl:Private Investigator" Site.
1. Chapter 1

_A World_ _Without Heroes_In a world without heroesThere's nothing to beIt's no place for me -_Music From the Elder__KISS_

Prologue

Captain Sherri Penison cursed herself for the thousandth time that day as she tossed the reports on her desk. She could not believe that she had actively sought this job. Now, five years later, she could not understand how she had ever thought she could make a difference. Worse, she could not understand why she did not just walk out…resign.

Five years ago, she had been determined. Convinced that she, as captain of a police precinct, she could get a handle on the rising rate of crime. For a while, she had seen some real positive results. In all of Kansas City, her precinct had shown the most dramatic drop in violent crimes. Then it had all turned around and the percentages were higher now than when she had taken the job.

Of course, she was not alone. It was the same throughout the country and, if one could believe the news, throughout the world as well. Ever since the appearance of the first of the so-called Super Crooks three years earlier, all law enforcement agencies were suddenly fighting loosing battles.

"Captain!" A white-faced orderly rushed into her office, heedless of protocol. "They've killed the President!"

"What?" She spun in her chair, grasping through the mess on her desk for the remote and flicked on the television. She didn't have to bother about finding a particular station. The picture opened on a scene of massive destruction.

"…ead. We repeat, it has now been confirmed that the President and his family as well as the VP and her family are dead. Workers have now recovered all the bodies from the wreckage of the White House." The view panned and then settled on the tear-streaked face of the reporter. "We are still trying to discover the exact cause of this catastrophe, but, according to eye-witness accounts, it appears a group of what the media has labeled Super-Crooks descended on the White House a matter of hours ago and. …Well, you can see for yourself." The camera once again panned back to the pile of rubble. "While we can…"

Sherrie flicked off the set and, for a long moment, sat staring at the blank screen, stunned. Minutes later, the orderly tossed his badge down on the desk beside the other gleaming badge there and followed his now ex-boss out the door.

Chapter 1

11:59:56pm December 31, 1999

"…4…3…2… NEW YEAR!"

At Times Square, thousands of people cheered as the great silver ball dropped, signaling the end of one millennium and the beginning of the next.

At Pier Four, a crowd that numbered only in the hundreds cheered just as loud as fireworks sprang from the top of the FF HQ, followed by a large fiery streak that sped out over the bay and seemingly burst into a bright new star.

Kara, using her telescopic vision, smiled as she watched Johnny Storm light up the night sky.

"He really does like to show off, doesn't he?" Rogue stage whispered in her ear.

They, along with Jennifer Walters, had joined others for this celebration atop the Fantastic Four headquarters. Looking around, she could see Captain America deep in conversation with his Avenger teammate, Ironman. Over there, Jenny had her arm linked through that of her cousin, Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, as he and Reed Richards talked. Standing quietly to one side, Dr. Strange appeared mildly amused as he watched the others. There were others, many that Kara had only heard of till now, that stood or wandered in small groups.

"Hey girlfriend." Rogue jabbed her in the ribs and she realized that she had started to slip into the depressed state that had plagued her lately. "This is party time, girl."

"Just thinking." Kara replied, looking back out over the bay. Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch, was allowing his bright flame to dim and was already making his way back to the roof. Below, the noise of merry makers was muted to a dull roar. She sighed and pulled her shoulders straight and tried to smile. "Thinking of the past…or rather, my past."

"Well stop it." Rogue said, only half jokingly. Though she had said nothing, Kara knew that her depression was worrying her friend. "Let's go find Reed. He said he wanted to talk to us."

"When did he say that?"

"Oh, when we arrived." Rogue said, somewhat evasively. "Come on." She grabbed Kara's hand and half drug her through the crowd of partiers.

"Ah, there you are." Reed smiled as the duo approached.

"So this is the infamous Kara." Bruce raised a glass of champaign in toast. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year." Kara responded automatically. "What do you mean infamous?" She rounded on Jenny. "What have you been telling him?"

Jenny laughed and Bruce put a hand on her arm.

"Nothing bad, I assure you." He claimed, "Only that you are the reason that the X-men find them selves minus one of their strongest members and the Fantastic Four here," he saluted Reed, "find themselves minus a backup member."

"Oh." Kara replied, smiling slightly. "I suppose I have shaken things up a bit.

"I'll say." Reed mock groaned. "First you turn Rogue here into a Kryptonian, and then you some how get Jenny to become this universe's version of a Green Lantern."

"Hey now!" Kara protested, laughing. "I had nothing to do with that last."

"Right!" Jenny drawled. She concentrated slightly and an emerald green S symbol appeared in the air above them. "Sure you didn't."

"Whatever." Kara grinned at her friend and turned back to Reed. "Rogue said that you wanted to see us?"

"Yes indeed." He beckoned to Sue Richards and, his arm stretching the length of the roof, he placed his empty glass of champaign on the bar. "I've been working on something with your father and want you to see our progress."

"Hi Kara, Rogue." Sue smiled at them as she walked up, slipping her arm around her husband's waist. She looked at him and at Bruce and then sighed. "Well, I kept you out of the lab for a bit, anyway." Her smile took any sting out of her words.

"Now Sue…" Reed began.

"Oh hush." Sue laughed and pushed him away. "You've been dying to show off for a while so go right ahead…but don't you dare stay there all night."

"Yes dear." Reed's reply was somewhat meek as he placed a hand on Kara's arm. "C'mon. This you have got to see."

"Okay, What have you and Dad been cooking up in here?" Kara asked as Reed and Bruce led her, Jenny and Rogue into the lab.

"First a little background." Reed held up a hand and then, turning to a blank screen. "Are you there, Zor?"

The screen came to life with a full sized image of Kara's father, Zor El.

"Right here, Dr. Richards." Zor replied. His eyes moved and Kara realized that she must been in range of the transmitter's pickup when he smiled. "Happy New Year, Daughters." He said. Kara smiled and glanced over at Rogue. Rogue was smiling too, though in a more feeling manner. She had still not gotten used to the fact that Kara's mother and father had officially adopted her. In the city of Kandor, she was listed now as Rogue Zor-El and could claim all the perks and privileges that came with the name.

"Happy New Year, Dad." Kara replied. Though the Kryptonian year was almost three times longer than a Terran year, Kandor had long ago adopted the Earth calendar. It only made sense, seeing as how Kandor was no longer on Krypton. "What mischief have you and these two" She jerked a thumb at Reed and Bruce " been up to?"

"Why daughter, you wound me!" Zor placed a hand over his chest and took on a hurt expression.

"I might if someone doesn't tell me what's going on." Kara growled, looking around at Reed and Bruce. "But I'll start with these two."

"Okay okay." Reed laughed. He waved Bruce over towards a bank of consoles. "This started with a conversation you had with your father on New Krypton." He began. Kara grew thoughtful, quickly going over in her mind what had been said, months earlier when she, Rogue, and Jenny, along with a little aid from a deceased Hal Jordon, had rescued a major portion of the inhabitants of New Krypton by shrinking them once again.

"Refresh my memory." She said, still shaking her head.

"The Phantom Zone, Kara." Zor said.

"An interesting concept." Reed mused. "First we had to recreate the mechanism…. the Projector that your uncle, Jor El, developed."

"As I told you, I had worked with Jor on the project, so I was able to contribute what knowledge I had and then help Reed and Bruce fill in the missing pieces." Zor explained.

"However," Bruce continued, making a few adjustments on the console, "Zor could not give us a detailed schematic of the finished projector. We had to use the trial and error method to refine the projector. But we finally got it."

"You've been working with them?" Kara noticed that her fist were clinched and consciously willed her hands to relax.

"To some small degree." Bruce confirmed. "I specialize in energy and radiations. When Reed mentioned the project to me, I was interested.'

"Tony Stark was involved as well." Reed broke in and Kara was again keenly aware of just how much she owed to Tony and Stark Industries, the Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange, Prof. Xavier, and to Rogue and Jenny. With an effort, she jerked her thoughts back to the here and now.

"So you have a working projector?" She asked.

"We do." Reed confirmed. "And we have tested it thoroughly." He motioned to Bruce. "In fact, we are going to give it a final test right now and wanted you to be here to witness it."

Bruce punched a couple of buttons and the room was plunged into darkness. Then, from the overhead lights, a reddish glow sprang forth, bathing everything in it's light. Kara frowned slightly. It was obvious that Bruce had just activated Reed's Red Sun simulator. Reed had used it early on to strip Kara and Rogue of their powers long enough to get blood samples or to administer some medication. Yet, ever since their meeting with the Silver Surfer, Red sun light no longer had the same effect. Actually, they had discovered that their powers were no longer dependent on the type of sunlight they bathed in. Yellow sun or red, or orange, or even blue. The effects no longer varied.

She held her tongue as a section of the floor opened and an examination table rose. She felt she knew what was coming and, before she allowed anyone to become a test subject to be projected into the Phantom Zone, she would destroy the projector first. No one, however, made a move for the table.

"When ever you are ready, Bruce." Reed called out. While Kara's attention had been on the table rising out of the floor, he had palmed a hypodermic and stood waiting. He caught the eyes of Jenny and Rogue and nodded. Neither moved, having positioned themselves purposely on either side of the spot where the table would be.

"Here we go." Bruce warned as he twisted a dial. A purple beam stabbed out of the ceiling and enveloped the table. For a long moment, it appeared as if nothing was happening and then, oh so slowly, the outline of a man began to take shape.

Kara gasped, her eyes wide and one hand over her mouth as she watched. Quickly the figure gained solidity, seemingly forming before their very eyes.

"Now!" Reed called out. Instantly, Bruce cut the beam. The figure, his face a mask of agony doubled over even as Rogue and Jenny acted. Grasping the figure by the arms, they pushed him back on to the table and held him flat while Reed advanced with the hypodermic. "Neck." He barked. Jenny responded by tilting the man's head, exposing his neck and an extended carotid artery. Reed jabbed the needle in and pressed the plunger. He steeped back and Kara could see by the movement of his lips that he was counting to himself. When he reached 20, he waved an arm at Bruce. Instantly the red glow was replaced by regular lighting.

Kara studied the man, her eyes somewhat misty. His face was relaxing and, though his body was still wracked with spasms from remembered agony, it was apparent that the pain was fading.

"Lar?" Kara stepped forward, uncertainly, only to be blocked by Reed.

"He's going to be out for a bit, Kara." He told her gently. He took a breath and then went on. "I want to be sure that you realize that he is not going to know you."

"Of course he will." Kara glared at him briefly and then looked back at Lar. Reed's words, however, made her think it through. Yes, they were from the same reality. But she, personally, had not met Lar until her first trip to the 30th century and the Legion of Super-heroes. She let her breath out, not even aware that she had been holding it. And of course this was still the 20th century. Well, technically it was now the 21st. So of course he would not know her. He had been, according to her memory of events, trapped in the Zone for over a thousand, years, being released by Brainiac 5 when he had learned of Lar's existence and then developed cure. But now that would never happen.

"You're right." She said, straightening up. "I just had to think it out." She glanced at the hypo still in Reed's hand. "Something for the lead poisoning?"

"Exactly." He tossed the hypo in a disposal chute and then turned back to his patient. "A two pronged attack, you could say. First, a batch of biological nanites programmed to clear the system of any traces of the poisoning. Then a second to immunize against further exposure."

"How did you know…." Kara let it trail off, seeing the smiles on Rogue and Jenny's faces. "This was not the first time you've pulled him from the zone." She concluded.

"Right." Jenny nodded, turning her attention back to the Lar. Kara noticed the way her fingertips absently brushed a lock of hair away from his eyes. She smiled, realizing that her new friend was obviously taken with Lar.

Jenny caught herself and, snatching her hand back, cleared her throat and continued. She never noticed the amused glances that passed between the others.

"As I was saying," she went on, "Reed called us in here last week."

"I wanted them here just in case the red sun simulation did not work on Daxamites like it does on Kryptonians." Reed explained. "Thankfully, it does. We pulled him out long enough for me to get a blood sample to work with and then we stuck him back in." He paused to look at the man on the table, shaking his head. "Three of them." He muttered, looking over at Bruce. "A year ago, we didn't have one, now we have three that could easily be considered among the most powerful beings in the galaxy." Bruce merely shrugged. He was, at the moment, looking at his cousin, clearly amused and thinking that Reed had possibly miscounted.

"Well." Reed clapped his hands together, startling everyone. "Let's get him down to the infirmary. He's out of danger but I want to let those nanites and that recuperative ability Daxamites seem to share with Kryptonians have chance to work."

Not to long after transferring the patient to the infirmary, Kara and Rogue decided to return to their Arctic home. It came as a surprise to no one when Jenny opted, instead, to remain and help out with the patient if needed.

"Hey, Reed might need me here to keep him under control." She had justified herself. Though she was amused, Kara had to admit as she and Rogue soared up and northward, that with the power of a Green Lantern, Jenny would, indeed, be able to handle Lar. A Green Lantern was only as strong as his or her will and Jenny was extremely strong willed.

"Do you think you and Rogue could join us here? Right away?"

The communication had come in early two mornings later. Stepping out of the shower, Kara had paused only long enough to wrap a towel about her upper body as she answered the insistent buzzing of the comm. unit. Though she had no problems with wandering through her home with nothing but skin, she had learned over the years that most Terrans were uncomfortable around flagrant nudity. She was thankful that neither Rogue nor Jenny seemed to have that hang-up. For Rogue, the ability to go around in skin was still a wonder. After having to have most parts of her body covered at all times while around other people, the freedom to go without was still a novelty to her. Jenny, on the other hand, preferred to wear something….usually the skimpiest thing she could find.

Once again Kara paused to consider her relationship with these two. Since her rebirth, as she preferred to consider it, Rogue and Jenny had been her closest friends. And with Rogue, there was still an undercurrent of attraction that neither had acted on. They had both, over the months, dated and neither was about to give up men. Yet still….

"What's up, Sue?" Kara brought her attention back to the screen. Sudden apprehension struck. "Is something wrong with Lar?"

"Oh no." Sue Richards was quick to assure her. "But it seems that Reed and your father have stumbled onto something. They want your input. Yours and Rogues." Kara looked up as a chime sounded.

"Come in." She called. The door slid aside as Rogue stepped through, devoid of clothing, vigorously toweling her hair. She must have just gotten out of the shower as well. "I'll tell Rogue and we'll be there as soon as we can, Sue." She spoke to the screen. She had spoken more to warn Rogue not to wander into pickup range of the screen rather than to answer Sue.

"I'll tell Reed you're on your way." Sue confirmed as the screen darkened.

"Something up?" Rogue asked, planting herself on the edge of Kara's bed as she continued to dry her hair.

Kara looked at her for a long moment then stepped away from the comm. unit, letting the towel drop. Why not?

"Nothing that won't wait for a bit." She replied in a husky voice as she approached the bed.

Rogue and Kara angled in over the bay to touch down on the roof of the FF HQ.

"You sure took your time." Reed groused. Rogue's sudden blush startled him but the steel in Kara's eyes warned him to leave it alone. "Well, come on. I've got something to show you."

"First, how's Lar?" Kara demanded. She knew Reed well enough by now to know that his sense of priorities did not always match hers.

"Well enough." Reed answered as he moved them towards the elevator. "I believe he and Jenny are out site seeing."

"What?" Kara exclaimed. "I thought you said he was going to be out for awhile!"

"He was." Reed responded. "He was out for the better part a day. A long time considering he's a Daxamite."

"And now he's well enough to be wandering the city?"

"Actually, yes." Reed replied in a somewhat irritated voice. They rode the elevator in silence.

"It was while we were in the testing phase of the projector." Reed started explaining as the elevator doors opened. He led the way to the lab and pulled up a seat before the same bank of consoles Bruce banner had worked two nights earlier. He pulled up a series of images on the main screen and leaned back. "We had to pin-point Lar's location within the zone but before that, we had to find the correct settings to access the zone. Rather than do this manually, I had the computer run through the various settings. It would change the settings, activate the projector, take a snap-shot picture, and then move to the next setting."

"I can see how it would be faster to do it that way." Kara nodded. "Running through all possible settings manually would have been extremely tedious and time consuming."

"Exactly." Reed touched a control and the screen zoomed in on one picture. From what Kara could see, it was nothing but a white blur. "This is what most of the snap shots show." Read explained. He touched the console again and this time a shadowy figure appeared. "This snap shot matched the search parameters I had entered into the computer so it stopped there." He turned in his seat. "Yesterday, out of idle curiosity, I entered new search parameters. I told the computer to search through the snap shots it had taken and highlight those that were significantly different from the white nothingness you saw on the first picture." He adjusted the controls once again and the screen zoomed in on a dark picture. Kara's eyes widened as she registered what she was seeing. In the center of the darkness, a small splotch of light resolved into a man made space station.

"This is what popped out." Reed was rubbing his chin now. "At first, I thought it was simply a picture of some satellite in orbit."

"It's not?" Rogue asked.

"Actually, it appears to be an incomplete space station. From the looks of it, It is a simple torus affair.." He turned to Kara. "Much like the station of Tony Stark's you helped repair on the day of your coming out." Reed responded. "Just not one in our reality or in any of the alternate realties of our group that I have been able to identify. And no," he held up a hand to forestall any remarks from Kara. "its not a satellite from superman's reality or any of it's alternates either."

"Then what?" Kara was clearly confused now.

"That," he pointed at the screen. "belongs to yet another reality." He smiled. "An Otherverse, as Sue called it when I told her about it." He continued to talk as he worked the console. "Since I had ordered the computer to save the settings to each snap-shot, it was simple to reset the projector and use it to take pictures from different angles." His face was serious now. "This is what I got." The group of pictures that now cycled across the screen showed a world in turmoil. From the perspective of the picture, it was easy to see that several spots on the globe that was now depicted glowed. Obvious nuclear strikes.

"Looks like they have done what we have barely escaped." Rouge whispered. "Nuclear war."

"Not really." Reed shook his head. "Those strikes were the result of desperation on the part of the inhabitants, not the result of a thermonuclear conflict."

"How do you know that?" Rogue demanded.

"Once I had the settings and enough pictures, I took the next step. Using the projector, I sent in a robotic probe and then, after a calculated elapsed time, I used the projector to recall it." He sighed. "What it found was disturbing." But even that is not as bad as what occurred next.' Kara merely raised an eyebrow, inviting Reed to continue.

"I made a mistake." Reed acknowledged. "When I retrieved the probe I was too anxious to find out what it had discovered. I left the projector on…and a native stumbled in."

"What?" Kara demanded. "You mean some wild animal was yanked out that world into this one?"

"Not exactly." He stood and beckoned the ladies to follow him. "I said native and I meant native. Double checking to insure that no further accidents would occur, Reed led the way out of the lab and back into the elevator. Since the Lab was near the top of the tall FF HG building, it was no surprise that he was taking them further down. They were surprised, however when they by passed the floor that held the living quarters and stopped on the next level down…the guest level.

When they emerged from the elevator, the first thing they saw was a harried looking Johnny Storm standing guard before one of the guest rooms.

"Thank God!" He groaned as they stepped out into the hallway. He jerked a thumb at the closed door behind him. "That…_person_ is an obstinate…Woman!"

"Oh?" Rogue remarked, unable to pass up the opportunity. "Find a woman that can resist your boyish charms?"

"Not funny." Johnny was as close as a grown man could come to pouting without looking ridiculous. He turned his attention to Reed, almost pleading. "Reed, she's tried to get out three times. She's jimmied the locking mechanism twice, completely hosing it up the second time." He sighed. "It would have been easy if you would have allowed me to flame on and scare her back in."

"Scaring her is exactly what we don't want to do." Reed shook his head. "And right now, any further show of our abilities will do just that." Over his shoulder to Kara and Rogue, he explained. "I had to wrap her up in a hurry when she stepped through the gate I left open."

"Well, let's see this…obstinate woman." Kara smirked at Johnny and stepped past him and Reed to the door.

"Watch out!" Johnny called as she slid the door aside. At the same instant, a missile consisting of room furniture sailed through the opening. Instinctively, Kara reached up and plucked the flying chair out of the air as she stepped into the room. Rogue followed her, holding up a hand to warn the men to stay where they were for the moment.

Kara sat the chair in the center of the room, straddled it, and rested her arms on it's back as she studied the woman in question. Rogue simply leaned back against the wall by the door, willing to let Kara handle this.

The woman was backed into a corner of the room, her eyes darting around, seeking an avenue of escape like a cornered animal. She was, Kara estimated, probably in her late thirties to early forties. Well muscled, crouched in an easy manner that suggested professional soldier. Her brown hair was cut short, strengthening that suggestion. She should have asked Reed if she had been carrying a weapon when she came through the gate. Kara was willing to bet she had been. She stood and, with a foot, slid the chair towards the woman.

"Feel like throwing it again?"

"Why have you brought me here?" The woman hissed in response, her voice a deep contralto. "Why don't you just kill me and get it over with." She sneered now. Oh Yes, this one was definitely a warrior. "Or does your kind get its kicks out of torturing normals now?"

"What are you talking about, Lady?" Kara was truly puzzled now. If she found out later that Reed had not told her all he knew…But, then, she had hardly given him the opportunity, had she? She held up her hands. "Look, I don't know how things are where you come from, but no one is going to kill you. And we certainly aren't going to torture you."

"You were brought here by accident." Rogue spoke up from where she leaned against the wall. "Reed can send you back, but not if you insist on destroying his equipment."

"How simple do you think I am, you mutie bitch?" The woman barked. She then gasped as she felt her self hauled into the air. One instant Rogue had been leaning on the wall, now she was floating near the ceiling, holding the woman by the front of her khaki jacket, her nose barely and inch from the flailing woman's.

"I don't know how simple you are, but you are showing you are rather stupid." Rogue hissed. "For most of my life I've put up with this anti-mutant bullshit…"

"Rogue." Kara's voice was soft, but it penetrated. Taking a deep breath, Rogue gently lowered the shaking woman back to the floor where she promptly collapsed to her knees.

"Sorry." She said, more to Kara than the woman. "Lady, a piece of advice. Watch your mouth. It's a free country and you can say what you want, but you best be prepared to take the consequences of your words."

"What Rogue means" Kara cut in smoothly, "is that there is no reason to insult. And if you do, then you can expect to get a negative response." She stepped closer and squatted down before the woman. Her voice turned harsh as she continued. "In other words, don't piss us off, lady. Especially since we are trying to help you."

"Help me? That's a laugh." The woman was trembling in obvious fear, yet still there was not an ounce of back down in her. Kara studied her for a moment and then motioned to Rogue.

"Grab an arm." She said. "I think it's time we gave our…visitor a tour of the city."

With Rogue holding an arm on her left and Kara holding the right arm, the woman had no choice but to stand as they hauled her effortlessly to her feet. Then, despite her attempts to dig her heels in and struggle, they hustled her out of the room and past a flabbergasted Reed and Johnny.

"I've seen some of the pictures of what your home looks like." Kara was saying as they drug her into the elevator. Kara hit the button for the roof level and went on. "A lot of destruction, hot spots from nuclear strikes, and creatures that should, by all that's holy, never exist. That about sum it up?" The woman refused to answer, though she had ceased struggling. The elevator opened and they stepped out.

"Ready?" Kara asked, looking over at Rogue. At her nod, she bunched her muscles. "Then let's grab some sky!" As if they had practice the maneuver, they both leapt upwards, soaring out over the city, the woman held firmly between them. They would have to make it short, Kara knew. Despite the obvious muscles in the woman's upper arms, the weight of her body would soon become painful.

"Take a good look, lady." Rogue had to raise her voice to be sure the woman heard over the sound of air streaming by them. "Does this city look like anything in your world?"

Before the woman could answer, even if she had been so inclined, a green bubble surrounded her, lifting her to take the strain off her shoulders and arms. Kara and Rogue paused in their flight and waited as a streak of green shot upwards from the city to intercept them.

"Whatcha got here?" Jenny asked as she joined them in their hover. Neither Rogue nor Kara answered. Instead their attention was on the person that had followed her up. Gone was the costume of red and blue. Instead, Lar Gand was dressed in a manner more appropriate to site seeing without attracting attention to himself. Their charge momentarily forgotten, Kara released her hold on the woman and drifted forward to clasp Lar's hands in her own. Smiling, Rogue brought Jenny up to date while Kara and Lar became acquainted.

"I know you don't know me." Kara began, somewhat flustered. To see some one she remembered. To know that it _was_ the same person, even if he did not know her, had sent emotions running through her. With a small cry, she pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. Somewhat awkwardly, Lar returned her embrace.

"Jenny has told me all about you, Kara." He said, stroking her hair. "She and Dr. Richards tell me I have you to thank for my rescue from the Zone. They also told me about what happened with history in our reality." He pushed her away a bit so he could look at her tear-streaked face. "From what they tell me, because of that change, I would have been stuck in there forever if not for you. Thank you." Kara smiled through her tears and gently touched his cheek.

"It's going to be hard." She said. "Having memories of you that you don't and now never will."

"Uh, we weren't…uh…" Kara laughed as he blushed.

"Oh no." She said, pushing him away and wiping her face. "Just good friends. You had…other interests." Visions of Lar and Tasmia Mallor (Shadow Lass) passed briefly through her mind yet she elected to keep quiet about it. Especially now that she could see the relief in his eyes and the way they kept darting back towards Jenny. Smiling she turned back towards the woman Jenny now held in a green bubble of energy.

"Let's get our guest here back to Reed's lab and back to her own world." She said.

End of **_A World Without Heroes - Chapter One_**.


	2. Chapter 2

_A World_ _Without Heroes_In a world without heroesThere's nothing to beIt's no place for me -_Music From the Elder__KISS_Chapter 2

As they angled in for a landing on the roof of the Fantastic Four headquarters, Kara could see four figures waiting for them. A quick glance with telescopic vision showed that they were Reed, Dr. Stephen Strange, Prof. Xavier, and Jean Grey. They had not been gone long enough for Reed to have contacted the others and have them arrive by now, so she figured he must have contacted them earlier.

Her glance also showed them bundled against the cold and, with a gasp, she turned her attention back to their 'guest'. She had not even considered the cold when she and Rogue and taken her out over the city. The woman, though obviously miserably cold, stood in the energy bubble Jenny had created around her, arms spread to steady her against the sides. If she noticed Kara looking, she gave no indication. Instead, her attention was riveted on the streets and pier below.

Despite the wind and the cold, people were still milling about. Some simply to get a breath of fresh air during their lunch period, others gawking at the FF HQ, others pointing in their direction, as if to point out the passage of the heroes to others.

"Come on, people." Kara called out. "Let's get our guest back inside and out of this cold."

"Oh!" Jenny looked startled and glanced at the bubble she had created and was guiding. The woman looked up, startled as warm air rose up to engulf her within the bubble.

The group swooped down, landing lightly before those assembled waiting for them. Jenny gently lowered the bubble to the ground, but kept it intact, as much to keep the woman confined as to keep her warm.

"Prof. X! Jean!" Rogue rushed to her former teammates, hugging first the Prof. and then Jean. Standing somewhat aloof, Kara merely smiled a greeting to the newcomers. She then turned to Reed.

"If you don't mind, let's move down to your conference room." She said. "I didn't think about the temperature and our guest would be freezing if Jenny weren't keeping her warm."

"Good idea." Reed nodded and led the way to the elevator.

While everyone seated themselves in the conference room, Sue Richards appeared with mugs of hot chocolate for everyone. She also produced a blanket, which she wrapped over the shoulders of the woman.

Once in the conference room, Jenny had allowed the bubble to collapse. She was certain that, should she try anything now, she could be quickly immobilized by just about anyone else in the room.

The woman accepted the blanket gratefully. There was still a look of defiance in her eyes, but she had, it seemed, seen the futility of fighting against the power assembled within the room.

"I'm sorry we took so long in getting here." Xavier was saying. He looked over at Kara and Rogue, smiling. "We arrived just in time to witness your departure."

"If I had known you were coming, we would have waited." Kara replied, looking pointedly at Reed.

"Hmmm well." Reed cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. He started to go on when both Rogue and Kara tensed. They both stood, Rogue's head cocked to the side as if listening to something. Kara turned, seemingly looking at the bare wall.

"Sorry people. Gotta go. Be back in a bit, I hope." She said. She leapt over the conference table and headed for the door. When Rogue and Jenny started to follow she shook her head. "Stay here and take care of our guest." She told them. "If I get into trouble, believe me, I'll give a yell." And she was gone.

At the same moment, both Jean Grey and Professor Xavier stiffened.

"Kara can handle it." Rogue told them, when they both looked at her moments later.

"Will someone please let those of us without super hearing, x-ray vision or psionics in on the secret?" Jennifer complained.

"The Juggernaut." Prof. X said in a flat voice. "The rest of the X-Men are going against the Juggernaut. If my guess is correct, Kara heard the destruction, investigated with her vision and has gone to repay a debt."

"Oh Lord!" Jenny breathed.

"Who is this Juggernaut?" Lar asked, confused.

"My half-brother." Xavier admitted. "Cain Marko is his real name. Years ago, he came into contact with a mystical gem that invested anyone who touched it with the power of the god Cyttorak. It turned Cain into an unstoppable living engine with the ability to smash through any barrier. It made him immune to pain and injury. In the past, it was enough merely to separate Cain from the gem. Unfortunately, Cain has some how merged with the gem. He's now powerful than ever."

"There's even a possibility that he has become immortal." Jean added. "Because he knows of the psionic abilities both Charles and I posses, he wears a helmet like head piece that protects him form psionic attack."

"So he's an unstoppable force." Lar mused, turning his head and activating his x-ray and telescopic visions. "Hmmm. I think we are going to see a living example of what happens when the irresistible force meets the immovable object."

"We've got to get that helmet off him!" Gambit breathed deep, catching his breath. He crouched behind the ruins of what had just moments earlier been a house.

"Look bub," Wolverine growled. "That helmet ain't nothing but a magical psi-shield."

"Logan's right." Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, panted. "Removing the helmet would merely allow others to use psionic abilities against him."

"And in case ya ain't noticed," Logan continued as Scott took a breath. "The Prof and Jean ain't here."

"Arg." Gambit scowled. "They be at the Fantastic Four's again." Even after the passage of several months, Gambit could not bring himself to let go of the anger he still felt toward Kara for, as he saw it, taking Rogue away from him.

"Whatever." Scott threw a glance over at a blue furred figure lying motionless nearby with Jubilee sitting nearby, cradling an obvious broken arm. "But we've got to do something. Hank and Jubilee need medical attention.

All three readied themselves and stepped out of the rubble to once again face their target.

The Juggernaut's helmeted head shook as he saw the heroes approaching.

"I thought you dweebs had gone." His voice, amplified to near deafening levels, laughed out. "Come little ones. Let's play some more."

"Play time's over, laughing boy!" A new voice called out. Startled, the Juggernaut looked up as a dark blue missile soared out of the sky.

Kara angled her approach and struck with both fists extended. Her thought had been to jar him enough to dislodge that helmet. She thought wrong. Mere inches from the Juggernaut's body, she ran into a force field and felt herself being thrown backwards.

"I remember you, girlie!" The Juggernaut laughed. As far as she could see, he had not budged or even been effected by her strike. Baring her teeth, she leapt again, this time feet first.

She had intended to strike him at chest level. Instead, a huge hand swung out and swatted her to the ground before she even got close.

"Girlee, you need to give it up." The Juggernaut's voice boomed out. He stood there, hands on his hips as he looked down at her. "I've taken Thor's hammer, thrown with all his might, and not felt a thing. What do you think _you_ can do?"

Shaking her head, Kara stumbled to her feet and glared at the Juggernaut. So far she had been pulling her punches, as she often did. She knew that no human could have withstood one of full strength, but perhaps…

"Okay, lard-ass." She stepped forward, planting her feet firmly. "I'm tired of screwing with you." She balled her fist and drew back. From what she had seen of this idiot, he was egotistical beyond belief. Secure in the knowledge that nothing could get through his force field. Well, she wasn't going to try.

"OH, now you've got me scared." The Juggernaut quipped. He stood there, hands on his hips, shaking his helmeted head. "Do you're worst, girlee. Then it'll be my turn."

"Not likely." Kara breathed as she drew back. She locked the fingers of her hands together and swung! She did not give it everything she had. Some where, deep inside, there was still that deep-seated fear that Kal had instilled within her. A fear of what her strength could do to a normal person. She prayed to Rao that the power she did give the swing would be enough. It was! With a deafening crash that shattered windows and shook the ground, her double fist struck the force field

The force field might keep the Juggernaut from physical harm, but it did nothing to keep his feet on the ground.

The Juggernaut yelped as he felt himself lifted and thrown upward by the force of the blow. Kara had angled her blow for just that reason. As the Juggernaut, yelling and screaming the entire time sailed into the sky, Kara held her breath. She waited until he was a mere speck before letting it out.

"What in the hell…?" Logan had reached her side.

"I couldn't get through the force field." Kara explained. "So I used it against him. I planted myself and sent him sailing up. He should hit the upper atmosphere and then start falling back to earth. He should land some where in the northern Atlantic. I think. I don't think I put enough into it to put him out of the atmosphere and into orbit." She paused, a thoughtful and somewhat troubled look on her face. "Will that force field keep him supplied with oxygen?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Logan grumbled. In spite of himself, he was impressed. In mere minutes, Kara had diffused a situation that he and the X-men were sure they were going to lose.

"Hey, You!" Kara turned as Gambit strolled up. "Where's Rogue, woman?" He demanded. With a sigh, Kara started to turn away, then decided against it. Instead she met Gambit halfway.

"She's at the Fantastic Four Headquarters." She told him. Then she poked him in the chest with a finger. The force of the poke sent him sprawling. Both Logan and Cyclops tensed as Kara stalked forward. Neither had the slightest idea of what they would be able to do if Kara took it in her head to dismantle Gambit. "And the name is Kara. Miss Zor-El to you, dipshit!" She hauled him to his feet. "Gambit, I don't give a damn whether you like me or not. But you will be civil or I am afraid that I will have to teach you some manners. I don't think you would like my teaching methods." She gave him a shake and dropped him, turning her attention back to Scott and Logan.

"I'll take these two with me to the FF." She said, gathering Hank in one arm and Jubilee in the other and leaping up and away.

"Gambit, one of these days that mouth of yours…" Scott said as he watched Kara disappear.

"You should have seen it!" Jubilee was saying as the med units in Reed's infirmary set her broken arm. Nearby, being tended by other units and Reed personally, Hank was just regaining consciousness.

Kara had sped them back to the FF HQ and taken them straight to the infirmary. She was met halfway there by Rogue and Jenny who took the injured X-men from her.

"Who's watching our guest?" Kara had asked, looking around for the woman.

"She's still in the conference room with Lar." Jenny told her. "Rogue kept an eye on you and when you started back informed everyone that you were bringing injured back with you. Reed, Prof. X and Jean are already in the infirmary setting things up.

"Yeah." Rogue agreed. She took a moment to squeeze Kara's arm, as if to assure herself that she was uninjured herself.

"I'm fine." Kara told her, smiling. She threw her arms around Rogue and Jenny and continued on. "How was our guest reacting?" She asked.

"Curious." Was Jenny's reply. "When we left, she and Lar were actually talking."

Now they stood aside, Kara blushing a bit as Jubilee ranted.

"I mean…wow!" She was saying. "She just zoomed out of the sky and slammed into him. She continued with what Kara had to admit was a pretty accurate description of what had occurred.

"I am sorry that I missed such an extraordinary display." Hank spoke up from the table on which he was lying. Everyone turned to him, inquiring about how he felt.

"Quite well, considering." He grimaced. Kara shuddered as the fangs protruded. Anyone unaware or unused to the Beast would be shaking in his or her shoes right about now.

"I wonder," She mused to herself, "how our guest would react to Hank's appearance."

"He'll be fine." Reed was saying. "Just a little rest. In fact, he'll be a hundred percent much sooner than you will be, young lady." This last was directed at Jubilee. "The med units can knit bones much quicker than standard methods, but you will still need to take it easy for a couple of weeks."

"Scott and Logan should be here soon to get you." Prof. Xavier was saying. "I believe that Gambit chose to return to the mansion rather than come here." This last was said with a sly glance in Kara's direction. "In any case, since we are here, perhaps we can get on with things. Also, if you would not mind, I would like to run a few tests on you Rogue."

"Tests?" Rogue frowned. "What kind of tests?"

"Well, we have a bit of concern." Jean admitted. "Originally, Reed called us in to get a mental evaluation of Lar Gand. But since we have been here and listened to you speak, I think we should check that out as well."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked. She was obviously concerned.

"You haven't noticed?" Jean's eyebrows rose. "But then, perhaps it wouldn't be as noticeably to you as it is to us." She nodded in Rogue's direction. "Ever since she joined us, Rouge has had a very thick Southern accent." She explained. "Now, in the months since she absorbed your powers, she has lost that accent completely."

"She has?" Kara turned and looked at her friend, here eyes wide with surprise. "Are you sure? I hear it clear when she talks. A deep rich accent…" She paused, a troubled look coming over her face. "From Southern Krypton!"

"So?" Rogue shrugged. "I'm Kryptonian now. What do you expect?"

"Physically, you are." Reed agreed. "But take this into account. Speech accents are learned traits, not physically inherited."

"Also consider this." Kara put in. "There is no possible way that you could pick up a southern Kryptonian accent from me or the people of Kandor. Kandor was a northern city. Any survivors from Southern Krypton survived because they happened to be in Kandor at the time Brainiac shrunk and stole the city."

"And you've started to pick up some Kryptonian oaths, as well." Reed put his two cents in. "At first, Sue and I thought it was due to your close association with Kara. Now we're not so sure. In fact, hold still." He grabbed an instrument and passed it over and around her head a few times.

"An EEG." He explained. He moved to a computer screen and, after a few moments, called the others over. "The chart on the left shows Rogues brain wave patterns just prior to the procedure which gave her control of her absorption powers." He pointed now to the chart on the right. "This is the one I just took."

"They don't match." Rogue exclaimed, touching her temple.

"They're close. But you are right, they don't match." He looked at Rogue. "If we relied on brain wave patterns for identification, you would fail the tests, Rogue. With these, you could never prove you are who you say you are. I wonder…" He turned to call up more data on the screen.

"But…but…" Rogue was clearly troubled.

"It's okay, Rogue." Jean comforted her. "Charles and I know you are who you say you are and so does everyone here. But something is happening with your mind and Charles and I would like to see if we can discover what it is."

"Interesting." Reed called everyone's attention to the screen again. This time it was split into three separate frames. "The one on the left is the first EEG I showed you. The one on the right is the one I just took. The one in the middle is one I took while she was unconscious after absorbing Kara's powers." He used a light pen to illustrate the middle chart. "As you can see, it is different from the other two."

"It almost appears," Stephen Strange peered closely, "as if two charts had been superimposed."

"Exactly." Reed touched a key. "Now watch." The outer charts moved inward to merge with the middle chart. "As you can see, with very little difference, they match." He sat back, with a smile. "What we are seeing is a continuing result of the initial absorption."

"That still does not explain the accent, Reed." Jean put in.

"Actually, it does." Reed stood and walked over to put his hand on Kara's shoulder. "When Rogue absorbed Kara's powers, she also absorbed the memories. Though Kara does not have, as she put it, a Southern Kryptonian accent, she _has_ heard it. She knows what it sounds like. It is in her memory." He now moved to Rogue. "Rogue received those memories. Now, originally, Rouge would absorb powers and memories and those would fade after a bit."

"Correct." Xavier nodded. "Yet it has been demonstrated that the 'victim' of her absorption is powerless until they fade from Rogue." He glanced meaningfully at Kara. "Yet Kara has just demonstrated that she retains her powers. According to past history, this should not have been the case."

"Ah, but then, Rogue had never tried to absorb a Kryptonian before." Reed looked like a man happy when all the pieces of a puzzle fall into place. "And she had not just undergone an extensive procedure designed to alter her mutant abilities." He smiled and ruffled Rogue's hair. "I think, Prof., that when you do your examination, you will find that Kara's memories, or at least portions of them, are locked within Rogue's mind. Beyond her ability to access them consciously, yet not beyond the Kryptonian recuperative abilities. The same abilities that changed her to begin with are still at work. We just assumed that, once the physical changes had been completed, that it was all over. I am guessing that the physical aspects were only the easy parts. Now it is working on her thought processes, her mental patterns, etc."

"In other words," Kara spoke up, "She is still becoming Kryptonian. And the accent which I hear…"

"Is being picked out of your memories of that accent." Reed nodded. "But I am afraid that the accent is too faint for us to notice." He shook his head. "I'm afraid, Rogue, that your nice Southern belle accent is gone for good."

For a moment Rogue looked disturbed. Then she brightened.

"A fair trade off." She laughed. "With what I am now, I can live without it."

The others laughed and started filing out of the infirmary.

"Come on, let's get back to Lar and our guest." Kara said, pulling Jenny close as she walked to the door. Over her shoulder she winked at Rogue. "Don't you let The Prof. or Jean get at any of my secrets, now, ya heah?" She mimicked a southern accent. Rogue stuck her tongue out and then smiled as the door closed behind her.

Night was falling and once again they all sat around the conference table. Jubilee and Hank had long since left with Logan and Scott to return to the school. Both Rogue and Lar had undergone extensive exams by Jean and Xavier as well as exams by Reed and Stephen. They were both determined to be in extremely good health…mentally and physically. As far as Rogue's accent, Jean and Xavier had proved Reed's speculation to be correct.

Once they were finished with Rogue and Lar, they had all turned their attention to their 'guest'. They had carefully informed her of what they wished to do and then waited for her permission before proceeding.

Originally, Reed had balked at this. It had been Kara that had proved to be stubborn when Reed determined that, for the safety of all concerned, the exams take place with or without permission.

"Sorry, Reed." Kara spoke quietly yet firmly. "As long as this is a free country, I will not allow anyone's rights to be compromised. She has done nothing wrong other than stumble into a gate, which you left open. She is not a suspect nor is she an immediate threat to anyone's safety."

"You can't know that!" Reed had snapped, clearly irritated. "She could be a walking factory of disease!"

"Could be is not enough reason to trample a person's rights, Reed." Kara responded gently. The woman herself had, to Kara's surprise, ended the argument by agreeing to the examinations.

Her name, they learned, was Sherri Penison. She had been, at one time, a Police Captain in the city of Kansas City, Missouri.

"I resigned my commission the day the super-crooks leveled the white house and killed the president." She told them. "That's when I decided that conventional Police tactics would not work against these super powered villains." She went on to describe the battles between the armed forces of various countries against legions of super-crooks. Sometimes the armies would emerge victorious. More often than not, however, they were slaughtered to the last man.

"Of course the super-crooks weren't alone." She shook her head. "Sometimes they fought alongside mega machines from god only know where. At other times, locals would suffer when gangs of crooks and machines and star-people battled it out." She laid her hands on the table, clenched together so hard the whites of her knuckles showed. "And let's not forget the animals. It's like the whole world has gone mad. Dinosaurs…real live dinosaurs. And creatures that no human should ever have to see. Animals mutated beyond recognition."

"Tell me," Stephen Strange broke in, watching her reactions. "Were any of the mutations wolves?"

"W-wolves?" Sherri stammered. She looked quickly at Strange then shook her head. "No…not that I know of." Kara's eyes narrowed. Sherri might be telling the truth, but she was obviously hiding something. Something neither Jean Grey nor Prof Xavier had been able to discover.

Sherri unclenched her hands and brought them up to rub her eyes as she finished what she was saying before Dr. Strange had interrupted. "And the people, the regular people, have to survive through all this."

"Actually, "Reed began, hesitantly, "they shouldn't even be there. In fact, you universe shouldn't exist at all."

"What?" Her startled question was echoed by Kara, Rogue and Jenny.

"I'm afraid that this 'universe' is not a true universe at all." Reed explained, apologetically. "It is, in fact a Nexus." Dr. Strange's eyebrows rose at this revelation, as did Xavier's. The rest merely looked confused.

"What do you mean by a Nexus, Reed?" Jean asked.

"Perhaps it would be best for me to explain that." They all turned at the sound of a new voice. All except Reed, that is. He acted as if this was not unexpected.

Access stepped out of the darkness of a corner and looked around at the faces regarding him.

"What do you know about this, Access?" Xavier questioned.

"Quite a bit, actually." He nodded towards Reed. "Dr. Richards may be correct in saying that this universe is a Nexus. A Nexus is supposed to act as a barrier, a no man's land, if you will, between a myriad of realities. It does not have a life of its own. It's only reason for existence is to maintain the separation of realities." His eye's fell on Sherri. "Obviously this is no longer the case. This particular Nexus, if that is what it is, has developed a life of it's own. Complete with a well document history. Yet it has only been in existence since 1985."

Kara shook her head, looking back and forth between Access and Sherri.

"Excuse me, Access. But there is no way that you are going to convince me Sherri is less than 16 years old."

"I should hope not." Sherri put in. "In fact, I will admit to pushing close to forty."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Access looked straight at Kara. "I said that it sprang into existence in 1985, complete with a history." He pointed to Sherri. "I am certain that, if you ask her, Ms. Penison could give you detailed accounts of events that occurred before 1985. From her perspective, history stretches backwards thousands of years. The Superman of your old reality can say the same thing, Kara. But you know that his history did not exist 16 years ago. Am I correct?"

"You are correct." Kara replied in emotionless tones. "So you are saying that whatever the Anti-Monitor did back then brought this new universe into existence?"

"Not exactly. It may have had its origins years earlier. But the crisis caused by the Anti-Monitor's actions, along with other cataclysmic events that occurred afterward in your universe and in other universes the Nexus touches, this one included, have all had an effect on the Nexus."

"Then Amalgam must have really shook things up." Stephen Strange mused.

"It did indeed, Dr. Strange." Access concurred. Now he turned his attention fully upon Jenny. "Yet one other event has had a more lasting, more harmful effect on the Nexus."

For a moment Jenny looked confused, wondering why he was looking at her. Then she felt a slight throbbing on her finger and looked down to see the ring Hal Jordon had given her glowing. Understanding dawned.

"The destruction of the Great Battery in Kara's old universe." She breathed. The others in the room, with the exception of Access and Kara, looked at her without comprehension.

"The source of the Green Lantern's power." She explained. She held out her hand to let them see the glowing ring. "Hal gave me this ring. It is not like the ring the current Lantern wears. I don't need that since Hal infused the energy directly into my body. It's more like a storage device. It stores the knowledge he gained and contains his entire story. It's like a recording of his memory." She took a deep breath. "At one time, Hal was just like any other Green Lantern. He wielded the power of the Great Battery through his ring. When he went insane, he killed other Lanterns and stole their rings, adding their power to his own. Finally, he went after the Great Battery itself. He destroyed the entire Green Lantern Corps, Laid waste to the planet Oa, home of the Guardians, and absorbed the power of the Great Battery. In the process, the Battery was destroyed."

"And that is where the current problem lies." Access cut in. "The Nexus is being destroyed from within. Its walls are buckling, allowing more and more seepage."

"Seepage?" Rogue asked.

"With the walls weakened, it means that it is easier for entities from other universes to cross over into the Nexus. Seepage." Lar was the one that explained.

"Exactly." Access nodded. "And it is a portion of the Great Battery that is causing the walls of reality to weaken. Somewhere, in that new universe, on the planet Earth, a malfunctioning fragment of the Battery is acting like a cancer. It's slowly eating away at the Nexus. And if it weakens much more, those walls are going to break."

"Not another Amalgam?" Sue Richards moaned.

"Oh no. We wouldn't be so lucky." Reed growled. He looked around until he was sure that he had everyone's attention. "Amalgam was the merger of two realities into one. This will be worse. This will be the sudden collision of a multitude of realities striving to occupy the same space and time."

"Total, complete destruction." Stephen Strange finished for Reed.

"Yes."

"That fragment must be found." Access stressed. "It must be found and neutralized."

"Neutralize a portion of the Great Battery?" Kara sounded appalled. "Do you know what you're asking? I may be powerful, but not _that_ powerful."

"You may not be." Access once again turned to Jenny. "But _she_ is!"

"Me?" Jenny shook her head in denial.

"You." Access smiled. "Who better to send out to fix a problem dealing with the Great Battery than a Green Lantern?"

End of **_A World Without Heroes - Chapter Two_**.

**_Click here to go to Chapter 3_**


	3. Chapter 3

_A World_ _Without Heroes_ In a world without heroesThere's nothing to beIt's no place for me -_Music From the Elder__KISS_ Chapter 3

"Well, here we are."

Kara chose not to reply to Rogue's statement as she studied her surroundings. Actually, half her attention was on the surroundings. The other half was on the woman standing between her and Rogue.

Sherri Penison had instantly dropped into a crouch, her eyes darting back and forth and scanning the skies.

"We're out in the open here." She hissed. She indicated a mound of rubble that Kara recognized as the remains of a school with a jerk of her head. In her hands she gripped a weapon that, to the casual observer, resembled an old Austrian Bull pup – A Styr-Aug. Indeed, in this probability, the manufacturer might well have been the same. Yet the similarities ended at appearances. This weapon, Sherri had demonstrated, fired blasts of energy that Kara was sure could probably knock her off her feet, even if they couldn't hurt her.

With a crouching run known to all combat veterans, Sherri zigzagged towards the rubble. Shrugging, both Kara and Rogue followed her lead. Though it was doubtful there was anyone around that could cause the two of them any problems, it was best to take no chances. And since they did not really want to call attention to themselves, just yet, perhaps it was best to take that old advice: When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

They were the first team to make the crossing.

Team two, consisting of Jenny and Lar, would follow soon. While Kara, Rogue and Sherri were to do a quick recon, Jenny and Lar would be moving the space station Reed had first viewed into the Lagrange 4 position. Then the third and final team, consisting of Reed, Sue, Stephen Strange, and Prof. Xavier, would cross over.

That team, Kara knew, would remain in the station. Their job would be to collect information and to coordinate efforts between teams 1 and 2.

Exactly what the duties of each team were had been the topic of hot debate...

After Access had dropped his little bomb, the discussion had gone on for hours. It probably would have gone on even longer had not Rogue finally put an end to it.

"Enough!" Her hand slapping down on the table brought conversation to an end. Inwardly amused, Kara saw Sue quietly eyeing the table, looking for structural damage.

"Are we going to talk this to death?"

"Precise planning can mean the difference between defeat and victory." Reed had said, somewhat stiffly."

"Is that what you call this?" Rogue asked in a sickly sweet voice that fooled no one. Reed colored but she gave him no opportunity to respond. "I think we've just about talked it to death. We can't plan any further until we get over there and get an idea of what we are truly working with. So let's get on with it." She turned and pointed a finger at Jenny. "With that Lantern energy of yours, you can move the station and make sure it holds an atmosphere until Reed here can get there and make what repairs are required." She indicated Kara, herself, and Sherri with a sweep of her arm. "While Jenny is taking care of that, Sherri can show Kara and me around the place."

"What about me?" Rogue turned to see Lar looking at her. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of the young man. For young he was. Oh Kara had explained that, in reality, he was older than he looked (Daxamites, like Kryptonians, had longer lifespans than Terrans and, as such, keep their young looks longer. It had been a shock to learn that Kara, though apparently in her mid twenties, was still a teen in Kryptonian terms. Which would mike her close to 50 or 60 in Terran years.

"Do you think you're up to something like this, Lar?" Kara had asked, sensing Rogue's indecision. "You've only been out of the Zone for two days now."

"I feel fine." He said with a smile. "Actually, I think getting in a little physical exercise would do me good."

"Physically he's a hundred percent." Reed had said when Kara turned to him. "There's no trace of the lead poisoning in his system and the antidote I used ensured that any further exposure would be harmless."

Kara closed her eyes and thought for a few moments. Finally she shook her head.

"Lar, I'm sorry." She said, trying to soften the blow, "but I don't think it would be a good idea. You just don't have the experience." She held up a hand to forestall his objections "Think it through. You had a short stint with Kal to exercise your powers, but all in all, you just haven't trained enough to become proficient."

Rogue looked a trifle uncomfortable, but the fact was that, though Lar had had his powers longer, she had actually had more practical experience and training in their use.

"What if I take him with me?" Jenny had surprised everyone by volunteering. "He could give me a hand when needed and it would give him a chance to practice."

Kara had to smile as she saw the sudden hope flair in Lar's eyes. He did want to help, but he had recognized Kara's concerns as realistic ones.

"Okay." Rogue had taken the decision from her. "We'll do it that way."

The discussion had gone on as each team's tasks were detailed. They had then determined what equipment and supplies would be necessary.

Finally it had come down to a decision as to where to Team 1 would make the cross over. Though they could enter the transport in the FF HQ, they could determine exactly where they would be deposited. Sherri had helped answer that question. Their first thought had been to make the transfer to somewhere near Denver Colorado. Sherri had nixed that.

"Denver is gone and portions of Colorado are hot zones." Seeing the question in every ones eyes she merely shrugged. "NORAD was located in Colorado." She said in explanation. Being from Kansas City, it was the city she knew best. So Kansas City, Missouri became their target.

"Before we go any further," Jean Grey-Summers had cut in, "Let me see if I got this straight." She looked over at Jenny. "An artifact from another Probability that supplied the energy to the individual that bequeathed it to Jenny is causing all this?"

"Probability?" Sherri asked, confused by the new term.

"We've been using the term 'Reality'." Reed explained. "The correct term is Probability. In actuality, there is only one reality. But there are countless Probabilities. It has been theorized that there are endless alternate time lines that split off from the original. For each and every major event or action that has more than one possible out come, there is a probability for every outcome."

"I got it." Sherri nodded. "I've heard the theory before. Though it was called alternate history. For instance, when Napoleon was at Waterloo. The time lines would split. Instead of winning, the alternate would follow the path the world would have taken had he lost."

"Correct." Reed mused. "And just for your information, in this probability, Napoleon did lose at Waterloo."

Sherri sat back, her eyes registering her surprise, as Reed turned his attention back to Access.

"In answer to your question, Mrs. Summers, no, the Battery shard is not responsible for all the problems with the Nexus. The original problems can be traced directly to events from that Probability, however." Access answered. "The actions of the Anti-Monitor, the merging of several sub-probabilities into one, and the events that occurred there after are the direct cause. Toss in events in this probability that strained the fabric of space and time, and, on top of that, throw in Amalgam as well, and the problem only escalated. The Battery Shard is simply the final straw that is breaking the camel's back."

"Just where do you fit into all of this, Access?" Kara jumped in.

"Actually, I don't." Access admitted. "My sphere of influence does not extend to Sherri's Probability. It only covers this Probability, the Superman Probability, and the Amalgam Probability."

"Amalgam?" Sue sat forward, frowning. "There is no Amalgam, Access."

"I think Access is about to inform us that there is, dear." Reed said, staring hard at Access. "A split in the time line?"

"Right. In this Probability, which I'll call Probability 1 and in Superman's probability, which we'll call Probability 2, history follows along the line created when the Brothers decided to maintain separate existences. Yet in the Amalgam Probability, history follows the line created when they decided to remain merged."

"Enough with the history lesson." Rogue growled. "Let's get on with it, already. Amalgam has nothing to do with this."

"Only in that it too is affected by this." Access corrected. "It too is adjacent to this nexus." Access turned back to Kara. "As I was saying, I don't have much to do with this. I merely act as a Gateway, you could say, between the probabilities in my sphere of influence. However, given the nature of my sphere of influence, I am in a unique position to collect information." He shrugged. "I am as much a creature of Probability as any of you. While I am sure there are analogs of myself in other Probabilities, I am confined to acting as a gate way between the three I just named."

"Which is a good way of telling us that you can't transport anyone to and from Sherri's Probability." Kara shook her head. She turned to Reed. "Looks like we have to use the projector."

"Agreed." Reed nodded. "Yet we still have to decide what it is we can and should do." This last was said with a glare in Rogue's direction. Rogue merely looked back, totally unconcerned.

"Whoa!" Sherri leaned forward once again, her eyes on Reed. "Before you guys go charging in, don't you think you should consider what that will do to the people there?"

"She has a point." Lar Gand put in, startling everyone. "We've heard what Sherri has told us of the Otherverse Probability." He used the term that Sue had originally given the newly discovered Probability "If we go in with a high profile, we'll cause problems. We might be able to find the Shard; Jennifer might be able to neutralize it. But we would surely attract attention. The meta-humans (he had picked up the term easily) would see us as a threat as would the norms."

"That's right." Sherri nodded. "And while you might be able to bull your way through easily enough, though I would not guarantee it," This said while glancing at Kara and Rogue, "You will still be leaving as soon as you've finished your job. What happens then?" She stood, her hands on the table. "I'll tell you what happens. Those Metas will take out their anger and humiliation on the norms, that's what will happen. And you people will not be there to stop them." She turned to Access. "Unless, of course, neutralizing this Shard of yours will neutralize the metas as well."

"I don't think so." Access shook his head. "At most, neutralizing the shard will stop any further weakening in the Probability barriers. It won't reverse what damage has already been done."

"In other words, there will still be seepage between the various Probabilities touching the Nexus?" Sue asked.

"To be more precise, there will still be the chance of seepage from other, adjacent probabilities into the Otherverse Probability. Strictly speaking, it is a universe unto itself, now. It's no longer simply a Nexus."

It was Dr. Strange that had spoken and everyone had turned to him.

"I've been waiting for the right moment to bring this up." He said, looking around, making sure he had everyone's attention. "This is not a unique event. Rare, but in no manner unique." He now looked at Access. "It is not unheard of for a Nexus to develop into a Probability of it's own. When that happens, the usual result is that a new nexus is created to fill the vacuum left." He shook his head. "For some reason that is not happening here." He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jenny. "The neutralization of the Shard will not restore the Otherverse Probability, but it should stop the weakening of the barriers, as Access said, as well as allowing a new Nexus to form."

He paused to take a breath and then looked straight at Sherri.

"While you might be correct in your assumption of what might occur after we have left the Otherverse Probability, I can not see that we have much choice. The Shard must, for the sake of all the probabilities that are adjacent to the Otherverse, be neutralized."

...And now here they were, crouching in the ruins of a burnt out, blown up school, waiting for their guide to get her bearings.

For a long moment she simply looked around. Her eyes picking out every detail of the surrounding area while her nose sniffed, trying to detect any out of place odors and her ears strained to pick up any noise that should not be there.

When she started to rise, she felt a steel grip on her shoulder.

"Shh." She heard Kara whisper. She turned to see both Kara and Rogue looking straight at a wall, their eyes slightly out of focus. "We've got company."

'Oh my god Kara." Rogue tensed. "They've got a prisoner!"

"Rao no!' Kara breathed, turning pale. With a single leap, she was up and out of the rubble, flying at low level with as much speed as she could muster in such a short time. Rogue was right on her heels.

"Well shit!" Sherri swore as she watched the two women disappear. With a look of disgust, she started to pick her way through the rubble; following as best she could.

She could not remember what it was like to live in a nice house. At seven years old, all she could remember were the streets. Sometimes running with other kids her age as they tried to survive day to day in the rubble that had once been a central hub of a mighty nation. Most of the time, however, she was alone, crawling into the sub basement level of a parking garage to get out of the wind and rain. Though she could not tell you why, her own experiences told her that this place stayed cooler during the hot days and warmer during the cold times. She only recognized three seasons: Hot, cold, and okay.

Though physically she was a little human girl, her very existence made her more of a feral animal, scavenging through the rubble for food on an almost daily basis. She would pick through the bombed out remains of a store, hoping against hope that she would stumble upon something that was edible. Several times she had not been careful enough about what she ate and had ended up sick to her stomach.

She could not remember her parents, she knew she must have had parents at one time, but she could not recall what they looked like, or sounded like. Whether they had been good parents or bad. Sometimes, as she huddled in her precious scavenged blankets in the garage, she would dream of big people that would hold her and love her, but she couldn't see their faces.

She was always careful about how she entered and exited her little hide away. She could remember other kids that were not so careful and how THEY had come for them.

THEY were big people, but not like the ones in her dream. These were big people that loved to hurt and she had seen how they liked to play with others of her kind.

A noise in the garage, probably from an upper level put her on guard. She remained still, listening, hoping it was one of the fury creatures that sometimes scurried around. She didn't know they were called rats, but she did no that they had become cautious around her. She had learned, from an older kid, that rats could be food when nothing else could be found.

The noise repeated, a shuffling sound of footsteps. Fear shot through her as the sound of voices, reached her ears. She hadn't been careful enough!

There were five of them. Dressed outlandishly.

"Like rejects from a Mad Max movie." Kara thought to herself as she and Rogue skimmed across the rubble.

They were dragging a little girl out of an underground garage. From her looks, they had already beaten and possibly raped her.

Not wasting time with subtly, Kara touched down in front of the gang, hands on hips.

"Let her go!" She didn't waste words either. She had thought about just snatching the girl from them and then confronting them, but she didn't really want to risk any further harm to the child.

"Well now. Lookie here!" One punk, his hair loosely styled into several multi-colored spikes, smiled as he eyed Kara and Rogue. He lifted a hand and Kara's eye narrowed as she noticed as slight wavering in the air around it. Much like the heat distortion one sees over a road on a hot, summers day. "We got us some big girls that wanna play."

Rogue, looking over the little girl, lifted her eyes to the spokespunk holding her.

"Judging from the looks, I don't think you could get it up for anything over 10." She remarked.

"You got a smart mouth, slitty." His eyes narrowed with anger. Then he smiled again. Yanking the girl's arm, he spun her back behind him to a fur clad punk. "We got some bigger toys to play with Cec," he said though he never took his eyes off Kara and Rogue. "I don't think we need the little slitty anymore."

'Cec' only grinned an answer as he caught the girl, one hand on her shoulder and the other on the back of her head. His grin grew wider as, with a simple flick of his wrist, he twisted her head.

With her super hearing, the sounds of the bones breaking crashed in Kara's ears. For a long moment she simply stood there, shock overwhelming her.

In all her years as Supergirl, she had never, never run across such careless brutality. And never, ever, aimed at children. She wanted to deny what she had just witnessed. She wanted to deny that anyone, anyone at all, could be so callous. Most of all, she wanted the little girl alive again.

Her vision tinged with red as rage swirled up to engulf her. She didn't think, she didn't plan, she just acted. She acted with pure undiluted hate and rage.

Though it seemed like an eternity to her, the little girl's lifeless body had not yet fallen to the ground before she had crossed the distance separating her from 'Cec'.

Without a second thought, without a care of what she might do, Kara backhanded the punk. She didn't even flinch as his head flew from his body to land and bounce several blocks away before coming to rest in a shapeless, shattered lump.

The headless body was still standing, not yet aware that it was dead as Kara turned towards another of the punks.

The leader stared, open-mouthed. He had not even seen her move. One second she was standing several feet away. The next, 'Cec' was nothing but a headless torso, just now beginning to spurt blood as it toppled to the ground.

Like most punks, he was a coward at heart. He wanted no part of this lady that was already stalking her next target. He turned…and ran straight into a wall that had not been there a few moments earlier. He gasped as he felt hands grasp his arms in grips of iron. It wasn't a wall; it was Rogue and her face showed her fury.

Rogue shook her self out of shock as anger and rage poured in. She stepped forward, wanting to reach Kara's side, to help her tear these…animals apart. The Leader had turned to run and she caught by the upper arms. He was no longer human. He was an obstacle. Without a second thought, she flung her arms wide, opening her hands to let the two pieces of the leader fly in opposite directions.

A third punk, bravery than most, or more stupid, as the case may be, snarled as he raised his hands. How dare these slits challenge _them_? A nimbus of energy surrounded his outstretched hands and blasts of pure plasma shot forth to engulf the blond fury stalking towards him. He kept the stream of energy up for several seconds. Smirking, he lowered his hands, confident that he would see nothing but ashes where the slitty had stood. His heart dropped as his confidence was shattered by reality.

At first glance, the slitty looked completely unscathed. Closer examination, which the young punk had no time to make, would have let him realize that her outer clothes had been burned away. No longer wearing the cammie's Sherri had suggested, Kara stood revealed in her blue tube top and dark blue hip huggers.

Kara made no comments, no witty remarks, nothing. Her eyes narrowed and two narrow, red beams shot out to strike the plasma shooter in the forehead.

The last image the punk was able to comprehend was a big red and yellow S symbol on the slitty's tube-top. The total terror that instantly filled him at that sight had no time to register on his face before the heat vision bored through his skull to evaporate his brain.

Rogue closed in on the fourth punk. He stood where he was and let her get close before striking out with one massive fist.

Caught off guard, Rogue felt her self lifted and thrown backwards, her passage bringing even more of the rubble crashing down. Picking herself up, she stood for a moment. The punk grinned, making a 'come on' motion with his hands.

That the punks had been metas was painfully obvious. It was also obvious they were way out of their league when dealing with Kara and Rogue. She felt certain even Jenny could have taken these punks without working up a sweat.

She launched her self at the grinning punk and smirked as his grin faded. She easily avoided his next swing, and even slowed down enough to let him take another, She avoided this one as well, grasping the wrist of the arm as it swung past and pulling.

The punk yelped as agony shot through his shoulder. After watching his mates so easily dealt with, he felt certain that this devil woman had ripped his arm clear off. He had only a brief moment to realize that she had only dislocated the shoulder before her fingers tapped into his temple, giving him a temporary release from the pain as unconsciousness took him.

The last punk was whimpering with fear as he took to his heels. He wanted nothing more than to be away from these devil women. He ducked behind a mound of rubble…and came face to face with the barrel of Sherri's Bull-pup.

"Noooo!" He had time to moan before a burst of energy fried his face.

Sherri kicked at the corpse, just to make sure it was dead before she shouldered the weapon and rounded the mound of rubble to reach Kara and Rogue. She stood still with a mixture of awe and shock at the carnage that greeted her eyes.

Kara was bent over, spewing vomit as Rogue held her, holding her hair back.

Sherrie frowned as she realized the significance. Despite all her power, Kara had never killed before.

The heaving over, Kara jerked away from Rogue to fall to her knees beside the body of the blond haired child. She scooped the body into her arms, rocking back and forth, crooning softly.

Leaving Sherri to stand guard, Rogue shot into the sky, returning moments later with Jenny and Lar.

Instructing Sherri to stand close to Kara, Jenny had formed a bubble around them and lifted them up. Soon, they were streaking up through the upper atmosphere and into free space. Despite the circumstances, Sherri watched the world recede behind them with awe as they neared the space station.

* * *

"How is she? Rogue demanded as Dr. Strange, Reed Richards, and Prof. Xavier filed out of the room where they had placed Kara.

"To be perfectly honest, I don't know." Reed admitted. "It's like she's not even there."

When she had been brought aboard the station, it had taken the efforts of Jenny, Lar, and Rogue to take the body away from her. Since then, she had fallen into a state of catatonia. Rogue had explained exactly what had happened. She had closed her eyes while retelling the horrible details so did not see Sue grow pale and the pain that began to show in the eyes of the others.

"She's there." Prof. Xavier broke in. While Reed and Stephen Strange had examined Kara, Xavier had tapped into her mind. "For one thing, she is having trouble accepting what she has done."

"What do you mean?" Sherri demanded. "She did what needed to be done."

"Perhaps." Xavier nodded, but his attitude gave no clue as to whether or not he agreed with Sherri's assessment. "However, in all her life, Kara had been taught that life was sacred. All life. She never saw her self as judge, jury, and executioner. To do so would, in her eyes, make her no better than the filth she was determined to fight. It was her duty, as she saw it, to act only as a law enforcement official. She would stop the crime, capture the criminal, and then leave it up to the proper authorities." He shook his head. "And now she has killed. Not by accident, but with intent." He raised a hand to forestall any further protest from Sherri. "I said that was one thing. There is, I believe, a second, deeper, reason that caused her to act as she did in the first place. The rage of a mother protecting her child."

"What?" Reed, looked over at Xavier.

"I think we are all forgetting that this young woman is not the same Kara Zor-El that died at the hands of the Anti-monitor." Xavier continued. "It is, rather, the clone of that young woman merged with the spirit of that woman."

"I think we are all well aware of that, Prof." Reed said, somewhat stiffly. It was his and Dr. Strange's efforts that had accomplished that merger in the first place.

"Perhaps." Xavier conceded. "Yet what effect might not the memories of the clone have on the original? Surely you realize that the clone would have had memories that the original did not have."

"But there was nothing." Reed was confused. He turned to Stephen. "Residual images, I believe, is all you said remained of the clone's memory."

"Not quite but close." Stephen nodded. "I said there was no activity, simply residual images." He turned to Xavier. "However, that is what I was able to learn with my arts. I am sure that Prof. Xavier is more versed than I on matters of this sort. I take it you discovered something?"

"Yes." Xavier sighed. "Yes I did." He glanced up at Reed. "Tell me, in you're examinations, did you by any chance notice whether or not that body had ever given birth?"

"No." Reed was taken aback. "I guess I should have, it just never occurred to me."

"I think you will find that it has." Xavier told him. "As to why Strange could not pick them up, some memories were imprinted in the brain. They were not active, just there to be accessed. When the spirit of the original was merged with the clone, it's own memory overlaid that of the clone. But it did not erase it." He sighed and went on.

"To put it bluntly, the clone had given birth to a young girl. Like her mother, she was blonde." He said. "The last memory that is recorded is an image of her daughter at about the age of seven. About the same age as the little girl she saw killed. And though there are differences between the images in her memory and that girl, the resemblances are remarkable. Enough to trigger the maternal rage."

"Oh Rao!" Rogue breathed, tears streaking her face. She pushed past everyone to enter the room where Kara sat on the bed, arms around her knees.

"Is there anything you can do, Prof.?" Jenny asked, her face wet with tears as well.

"I think it is up to Kara." He glanced at the closed door. "And perhaps you and Rogue. And just a little time."

"Time is not something we have a lot of." Reed stated, his anger at having to say it obvious.

"I know." Xavier looked at Jenny and Lar. "I know."

End of **_A World Without Heroes - Chapter Three_**.

**_Click here to go to Chapter 4_**


	4. Chapter 4

_A World_ _Without Heroes_ In a world without heroesThere's nothing to beIt's no place for me -_Music From the Elder__KISS_ Chapter 4_Pier Four – Fantastic Four Headquarters_

The small office area, separated from the main floor of the laboratory by a thick pane of lead lined, shatter proof glass, was dimly lit by the glow from the computer terminal. Hooked into the massive mainframe which filled the first two sub levels of the great multi-story building, Reed was able to pull up any information he needed, assuming of course, that the desired information had first been fed into the custom built computer. Though more advanced than any other computer in use on Earth, with the possible exception of the systems being used by Dr. Doom in the country of Latavia, it was still only capable of giving out what had already been put in.

It was here, in this office, that Reed did most of his research and brainstorming. It was here that he would spend hours on end, pausing in his work only when exhaustion or Sue drug him away.

Within hours of Kara's breakdown, Reed had made a command decision and transported every one out of the Otherverse Probability. To be brutally honest, Sherri had tried to warn them of Otherverse. Though he would be the first to admit his stubbornness, Reed was not a stupid man. And only a stupid man would not take time to re-evaluate the situation.

Using the Probability Broach, a term coined by Johnny Storm in honor of one of his favorite Science Fiction authors, Reed worked consistently since their return to gather data from the Otherverse Probability. Within a matter of days, he had accumulated a sizeable amount of data. Now he sat in the darkened room, scanning screen after screen. Everything from newspaper clippings to news programs flashed across the screen at a rate most people would find impossible to comprehend.

As he had some many times in the past day of study, Reed pushed away from the terminal, rubbing his eyes. He had known that things here on this Earth were bad, just not how bad.

Here, in this Otherverse, the world had gone crazy. With a shudder, he gave silent thanks that his own world had not suffered as this one had. Even without the added problems of super powered criminals, this world had hovered on the brink of destruction for decades. That was, of course, according to their history, he reminded himself. As far as the people here were concerned, their history stretched as far into the past as the history of his Probability. Yet he knew that this entire…Otherverse, had not existed prior to 1985.

Be that as it may, their history was as real to them as his was to him. Older people could give vivid accounts of events that had taken place thirty to fifty years ago. Events they **_knew_** they had experienced and lived through.

"Another indication that time is what we perceive it to be." He muttered to himself. He returned to the screen and began to flip through the various records, glancing through the contents, looking for anything…

He froze the screen, staring in disbelief. There, a copy of a newspaper headline proclaimed a day of celebration as the world's most wanted and feared criminal met his death at the hands of an alien monster.

Why? Why hadn't Sherri told them? He recalled that she had insisted that both Kara and Rogue be dressed as she had been when they made the initial transfer to this Probability. Now he understood her reasoning. It was not, as she had claimed, simply a way of keeping a low profile. It was to hide their uniforms. Or, to be more specific, to hide _Kara's_ uniform and the symbol it bore.

The newspaper headline seemed to mock him as the pictures below showed crowds of people ripping, tearing, burning replicas of the Super criminal and his symbol. The whole world had heaved a giant sigh of relief the day Superman was finally killed!

**_The Infirmary._**

The soft, blue walls. The gentle, relaxing music that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. The atmosphere of peace.

All these things, placed and prepared to aid in healing, both physical and mental, were sharp contrasts to the seething, roiling turmoil in Kara's soul.

Whether or not she could even see the walls or hear the music, only Xavier or perhaps Jean Grey could say. Kara herself had withdrawn within herself and not even the voices of her parents could bring her out.

She lay on the bed, it's clean white sheets and light cover pulled up to her neck, staring with unblinking eyes at something perhaps only she could see.

"Rejection." Xavier had announced, soon after their return from the Otherverse. "She's going through rejection."

"You mean she is having problems dealing with the killing?" Jen had asked, confused. She placed a comforting hand on Rogue's shoulder, squeezing. Though she knew the other woman might not even feel the grip, she would know it was there and would know the comfort it was intended to convey.

Ever since the incident, Rogue and Jen had leaned on each other, helping each other as they waited to learn Kara's condition.

"No. I mean she is going through rejection. Either her spirit is trying to reject the clone body, or the body is trying to reject the spirit." Xavier clarified in grim tones. "It was something we had feared in the beginning. Much like a transplant patient's body may reject the transplanted organ. We had hoped that, since so much time had gone by, rejection was no longer a possibility. Obviously that is not the case."

Rogue, her eyes and face red from tears, reached over to grasp one of Kara's hands. Though limp and lifeless, she grasped it tightly, as if she could, through her own force of will, bring healing to Kara.

Standing well behind the two women, Lar Gand looked on. Since he had watched Kara from the Zone for many years, even watching her die as she battled the Anti-Monitor, he felt a connection to this woman. He had watched her grow from a young alien with a heavy Kryptonian accent to a young woman every bit as deserving of honor as her mighty cousin. Now she was also the only link he had to that past which no longer existed.

Of course, the analytical part of his mind countered, if Reed Richards was correct in his hypothesis, then somewhere, some...when, there still existed a time and place that both he and Kara would recognize. A place where Kara never died. A place where, eventually, after a thousand years of imprisonment within the Phantom Zone, Lar Gand would be freed and join a Legion of Super-Heroes under the code name given him by Superboy – Mon El!

Then and there, looking down at Kara's motionless form, he made his decision. He would, in honor of her and the man that had saved his life by placing him within the zone, change his name. From then on, he would be Mon El. Silently he mad a vow to Kara. He would carry on the El name and would continue working as she had worked.

He stepped up, and slipped an arm around Jenny's waist. His other arm he placed around Rogue's shoulder.

"You both need some rest." He told them as he gently pulled them away. He caught Xavier's eye and saw his grim smile of agreement. "Come on. We'll get Sue to set up a room across the hall so you can be nearby if there are any changes."

Somewhat reluctantly, the women allowed themselves to be led away.

Xavier nodded as the door slid shut behind the trio and moved his hover chair to the head of the bed. He would need help with this and the needed help was on the way in the form of Jean Grey and Dr. Strange. Yet a fear that he had not voiced to the others spurred him to reach out and touch his mind to Kara's. A very real fear that help would arrive too late.

Softly at first, then with more confidence, Xavier allowed his thoughts to merge with Kara's. When the storm hit, it took him by surprise. Gasping with surprise, he gripped his chair as the storm of Kara's emotions rushed over him, threatening to drag him down.

Xavier anchored himself, assuring that, despite the violence of Kara's emotions, he would be able to return to himself. He then took the mental equivalent of a deep breath and plunged in.

He was no stranger to Kara's mind. After her initial resurrection, he had spent hours working with her, many times without her knowledge. Attempting to ease the merger between body and soul. Though in his case, he preferred to think of it as a merger of body and mind.

Images swirled around him in a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns as he swam through the turmoil, attempting to reach the core of her being. Each mentalist had his or her own method of perceiving thoughts. In his case, he translated those thoughts into images and sounds. From his own perspective, he was physically swimming through a sea of chaos.

Years earlier, he had performed much the same task with Rogue as she battled that portion of Carol Danvers that she had absorbed. He had used images then to aid Rogue. From her perspective, she had been transported to an ethereal landscape to face the caged Carol Danvers.

Now he used the same tactics to bring a small island of calm to the chaos of Kara's mind. Like Rogue had then, Kara now had focused inwards and so he found her, atop a grassy knoll, spattered with blood, cradling the body of a child. She was dressed, surprisingly enough, in the Supergirl costume that she had worn so many years earlier. A quick glance was all Xavier needed to tell him that the girl being held was not the same little girl Kara had seen killed. The resemblance was strong, yet stronger still were the resemblances to her mother. The resemblances to Kara!

"Kara." As with any such mental voyages, Xavier did not bother to project an image of his hover chair. Here, in this world of thought and images and energy, Charles Xavier walked on two good legs. He walked slowly up the knoll until he stood by the huddled figure.

"Go away." Kara huddled over the child even more, tightening her grip. "Go away!"

" I can't go away, Kara." Xavier answered gently. He made no move to touch her. Instead, he crossed his legs and lowered himself to the ground beside her. He did not speak. He simply sat nearby, watching as Kara cradled the body, rocking back and forth gently.

"Yes. I knew about it." Sherri acknowledged Reed's accusation. Reed had gathered her, Lar, and Sue in the conference room soon after his discover. He had, at first, demanded that Rogue and Jenny be present as well.

Lar…no, Mon El, he would have to get used to that since the young man was insistent, had merely shook his head and stated flatly that there was no reason to disturb either woman.

"They're resting now. Perhaps for the first time since we've been back." He had told Reed. "I don't see any need to disturb them right now." At first, Reed had been inclined to argue. After all, this was the FFHQ and he was in charge here. One look at Mon El's face had told him that arguing would be pointless and possibly counterproductive.

"Superman was the worst thing that had ever happened to our world." Sherri was saying. She held her head up straight and looked Reed in the eye. "He's the one that brought the Artifact to Earth." She turned to look at Mon El. "I imagine that the Artifact and this Shard you are looking for are one and the same thing." She stood, turning her back to the others as she went on.

"You can't imagine the terror that went through me when I first saw Kara and that…that symbol."

"Sherri, in his own world and in our own to a smaller degree, that Symbol is one of justice." Sue interjected.

"But not in my world!" Sherri turned around, planting her hands on the low table. "That symbol means death there. It stands for nothing but death and destruction." She shook her head. "No, it wasn't always that way. At one time, he was considered the greatest thing to ever happen to us. At that time, we called him Superboy. At that time, he and his dog did what Kara has told me her cousin did."

"Dog?" Mon perked up, leaning forward. "White? Named Krypto?"

"Yes." Sherri acknowledged. "Supposedly he came from the same planet Superboy came from, though I find that hard to believe. It's hard enough to imagine that evolution followed similar paths with humanoids on other planets."

"Depends." Mon sat back, a thoughtful look on his face. The absent way in which he continued showed that his mind was only partially on his words. "If you give credence to the theory that many worlds were seeded with similar life forms, then it stands to reason that those life forms might evolve along similar paths."

"Possibly," Sherri conceded. " In any case, it was after he returned to Earth after a mission in space, bringing the Artifact with him, that he changed. There are many that believe that it was the Artifact that caused him to change. Personally, I don't know."

"Is that possible?" Reed looked to Mon, hoping that his look conveyed his thought that they would not have to guess if Jenny were there.

"Oh yes." Mon nodded. "Kal, in later years, would often go on missions with and for the Guardian's of Oa. He knew of the Great Battery and the Battery knew him as well. In fact, I believe he was even invited to join the Green Lantern Corps at one time, but he refused. But he never made it a secret that he could be affected by the Lantern's Energy."

"So!" Reed rubbed his chin as he thought. He let his eyes close as he fan things through his mind. "If Superman could be affected by the Lantern, then so could Kara."

"Possibly, but not to the degree Superman could be affected. Remember, I said the Battery knew Kal. To the best of my knowledge, Kara has never been anywhere near the Battery."

"And you think this might make a difference." Reed demanded.

"Again, possibly." Mon nodded. "Since the Battery knew Kal, it is even probable that this Artifact, this Shard, called out to the Otherverse's Kal El for help after Hal Jordan destroyed the battery. Being twisted and tainted, it is quite possible that it would pass along those tainted traits. Twisting him to conform to it's own tainted image."

"Well, this will add a bit of a problem for Kara if she insists on retaining her uniform." Reed sighed. He reached out and touched a control on the comm screen he had set up. "On to the next item of business. I have finished a preliminary analysis of the current state of affairs on the Otherverse Earth. It appears that both Americas, North and South, are in total disarray. South America, as well as Mexico and Central America, are the worst with the United States running a close second. It does not appear that there are any central governments left in existence in any of those countries. Canada, while in almost as bad shape, appears to be dragging themselves up by the bootstraps. They have reestablished a central government, based more on the original United States Republic than their previous form. Also, they are quite small and their return to normalcy has been hindered by open warfare between them and the new Republic of Quebec." He shook his head.

"Over all, it appears that Australia has come out the best." He went on to describe conditions in other parts of the world; Russia, China, Europe, Africa, the Middle-East. Finally, he sat back. "I had, at first counted out global warfare. But it appears that they did try to slaughter each other. Oddly enough, it was the super-criminals that saved them all from nuclear destruction. While they could not stop all the nuclear strikes, they did get a majority of them."

"Yes." Sherri nodded. "It was, from what I was able to piece together later, a major case of misunderstanding. It started in the Middle-East. Israel was being threatened by super-criminals and it was finally decided that nukes should be used to remove the threat. It was not an easy decision. But all other avenues had failed and too many soldiers had died with no obvious effect on the criminals. So they launched a short range tac-nuke. Unfortunately, one of the Arabian states took this as an attack on themselves and launched a retaliation. It all escalated from there. The United States tried to stay out of it, until China launched on Russia and the UK…"

"I couldn't save her." The words were whispered so lightly that Xavier had to lean forward to hear. He still sat on the grassy knoll deep within Kara's mind. He was no longer alone, however. Just beyond the scope of his vision, he knew Jean Grey floated in the chaos, waiting to lend a hand should he need help. He had noticed her arrival and had sent a small thought to her, a request that, for the time being she keep her distance. Though he could not sense him in any ordinary sense, he knew that Dr. Strange was also there, using his magick to insert himself into Kara's mind.

"My little girl and I couldn't save her." Kara's hair hung down, obscuring her face as she bent over the body in her arms.

"Kara." Xavier started. He stopped as her head jerked up, her eyes blazing.

"Don't call me that!" She hissed. "My name is…" She stopped, bewildered.

"Your name is Kara Zor-El." Xavier told her, his voice pitched to induce calmness. He moved closer and wiped a strand of blond hair away from the blue, lifeless face of the little girl.

"What was her name?" He asked. He knew what the answer would be, but he had to start the ball rolling.

"I…I…" Kara looked down at the little girl, her face a mask of agony. "By Rao, I can't remember."

"Do you know why you can't remember?" Xavier asked gently. In the chaos, he could feel Jean tense, readying herself. Kara looked at the little face a moment longer and then glanced up at him, her eyes pleading as she shook her head.

"Names are a form of abstract thought." He told her. He reached up and wiped a tear from her face. "All that was left in the brain of the clone were images. Solid, simplex images."

"Clone?" She started to shake her head then stopped. For the first time, her hands left the little girl to clutch her temples, as if she were, by pure physical power, trying to keep her mind from exploding. "I'm a clone? No…This body is a clone." Her voice grew stronger as she talked.

"That's right Kara." Xavier nodded. He didn't say anything else, knowing she would have to work this out her self.

"The body was a clone. I was killed." She took a deep breath. "Reed Richards and Dr. Strange merged my spirit with the clone body." Suddenly she stiffened. She started to stand, once again holding the child as a look of horror swept her face.

"Kara, stop." Xavier laid a hand on hers, using his will to make her remain seated. "Think it through. You are Kara Zor-El. This was a clone body. An empty shell."

"But I…she…had a daughter." Kara wailed. "Oh Gods of Krypton!"

"And the body remembers that, in it's own way." Xavier confirmed. "When you merged with the body, you shut away any images that did not fit in with your previous existence. Yet it is now obvious that there are some residual images that you are going to have to deal with."

"You don't understand!" Kara rounded on him, her face a mask of fury. She tapped her skull with a finger. I have the images here. I can't pretend that I understand what they mean. But I can get a pretty good feeling from them. And some of those images…" She paused, looking at the girl in her arms. Slowly the girl dissolved into nothingness. "She could still be alive!"

"Kara." Xavier took one of her hands in his. In this mental world, his strength could match hers if he wished it. "Please. Remember that the reality you are from no longer exists. It never existed."

"Don't you think I know that?" Kara hissed. "Believe me, I know that every well. But that has nothing to do with what I am talking about. I still exist, so she could to. From these images, I can tell you that she was not on Earth when the Anti-Monitor showed up."

"What do you mean?"

"Prof. I see images of this child. The daughter of this body. And I know that the effects of the Yellow K were not passed on to the child!"

"But, that would mean she would…"

"Have the powers of a Kryptonian of my reality." Kara confirmed. "Some of those images show her flying, exhibiting super-strength. And one of those images shows her disappearing in a ripple of energy!"

"I don't think I understand." Xavier said, though he was beginning to believe that he knew very well where Kara was going with this. And if she was, he was not sure she would be wrong.

"Prof. That little girl did not fade out of existence. She either accidentally transported herself or was transported out of my reality!"

Rogue sat at the side of the bed, gently brushing the hair away from Kara's eyes. . She had tried to get some rest as Mon had suggested, but had soon found herself back in Kara's room. She had been surprised to see Dr. Strange and Jean there. They, like the Prof., sat near Kara, their faces devoid of expression. From her own experiences, she knew this meant that they were telepathically linking.

She had moved quietly and carefully to the head of the bed so that she could be near Kara. She really didn't care what the others thought or wanted of her. Right now, all that mattered was getting Kara better

The thought sent shivers down her spine as she considered it fully. Even during the most hot and heavy times with Gambit, she never, ever considered shirking from her duty. And now…

"What would you do?" She whispered. There was no answer. She hadn't really expected one. In the end, she answered her own question. "You would do what needed to be done." She stood and bent over the bed, kissing Kara lightly on the forehead. "I love you, Kara." It was the first time she had ever admitted it; even to herself. She straightened and, knowing she would leave her heart here in this room, she headed towards the door.

"Love…you." The words were hesitant, almost as if they were being forced out. Rogue was back at the bedside instantly. The Prof., Jean, and Dr. Strange were all moving as they came back to themselves.

Kara was breathing heavy and the look she cast in Rogue's direction was haunted.

'Kara?" Rogue felt like crawling into the bed and holding her. She settled for running her fingers through her hair.

"I…I had a daughter, Rogue." She sat up, her arms wrapped around herself as sobs began to rack her body. This time, Rogue didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her and pull her close.

"I know." She whispered. "Xavier told us."

"It was this body." Kara said, somewhat viciously. She tapped the side of her head. "The memories are here. Some of them, anyway. Gods, I can see her as if she were standing right in front of me. I can remember the pain of birth. But I don't know what her name was!" She cried for a bit, clutching Rogue to her like a drowning victim will clutch a live buoy or a life guard that has swam out to save her. Hiccupping between every other word she went on, as if the need to talk it out was greater than the need to cry it out.

"I remember all those things….yet I know that I never experienced any of it." She went on. "I never had a daughter, yet my memory says I did." She paused and looked Rogue in the eyes. "And Rao help me, she may still be alive!"

Shocked, Rogue looked quickly to Xavier.

"It is possible." He said, confirming Kara's statement. "It is something that we will have to look into." He squared his shoulders and, after a quick glance to Jean and Dr. Strange, turned his face to Kara. "But that is not all that is bothering you, Kara."

Rogue looked at Xavier sharply, wondering what he was getting at.

"You killed, Supergirl!" Rogue and never heard Xavier call Kara by that name. Yet she saw the effect it had on Kara. "You let yourself go and you killed those that killed the little girl."

Kara had stiffened at Xavier's words, then just as quickly, she slumped into Rogue's arms. Rogue glared at Xavier. How dare he…..

Xavier ignored Rogue's look, his attention focused on Kara.

"Isn't that it?" He demanded, his voice rough now. "Supergirl killed."

"Yes!" Kara hissed. She sat up straight, her hands clinched into fist. "I killed those boys. I didn't think. I just acted. I…" she shook her head, her blond hair falling down to cover her face. She took a deep breath and looked back up, brushing the hair back. "From the day I came to Earth, Kal keep reinforcing the need for thought and the need to use our powers responsibly. Above all, he tried to instill within me his own code against killing."

"Kara." Xavier's voice was gentler now that he had broken through, "You are not the innocent young woman you were 15 years ago. You are no longer Supergirl. You're a grown woman. What you have gone through has changed you. Whether for the better or worse is for you to decide. Yet consider this: This world is not the same world you helped your cousin protect. This world is teetering on the edge of extermination and perhaps that gentle, innocent Supergirl you were would be unable to cope with this."

"That does not give me the right to kill wantonly." Kara insisted.

"No. No it doesn't." Xavier agreed. "Are you afraid that you might go on a killing spree? Are you afraid that you might let loose and start slaughtering innocent people?"

"No." Kara shook her head. "But then, I did not believe that I would ever be able to kill as I did."

"Let me ask you this." Xavier changed tactics. "How do you feel about those young men? Can you honestly tell me that you are sorry they are dead?"

"No." Kara answered softly after a moments thought. "Their deaths do not bother me. And that is just as scary. It should bother me."

"It does." Xavier confided. "But it is not their death's that bother you, rather it is the fact that you were the instrument of their deaths." He sighed. "I know it will not make you feel any better, but you should know that Sherri sees nothing wrong in what you did. In fact, she is slightly puzzled by your reaction. Just remember, this is not the world you grew up in. Here, violence and death are the norm." He moved his hover chair towards the door. "Perhaps, someday in the future, things will change. Maybe they just need someone to help them find their way. Maybe they need a protector. We can only hope they find some one after we leave." He moved through the door, allowing it to close behind him.

"After we leave." Kara repeated. She stood and hugged Rogue close. "Come on. Let's see what's going on."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Rogue asked, her voice full of concern. Personally, she was not sure. In her opinion, Kara was far from being ready. She should take time to deal with her feelings.

"No, I'm not sure." Kara answered honestly. "But I can't sit back and feel sorry for myself." She smiled bitterly. "I'm Supergirl, remember?"

"No, you're not." Rogue insisted. "Not anymore. Linda Danvers is Supergirl now. You are Kara Zor-El. And by Rao you have every right to take some time for yourself."

"Rao, Rogue?" Despite her inner turmoil, Kara found a smile. "My, we are making a Kryptonian of you, aren't we?"

"Yes." Rogue replied, somewhat forcefully, "And this Kryptonian thinks that Kryptonian" she pointed to Kara "should take time to get her shit together."

"Such language." Kara took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "You may be right. But right now, we have a job to do. After that is done, perhaps I will try to work all this out." She walked out the door, Rogue walking behind her, shaking her head. She would have to talk to Jenny and let her know that they would have to keep an eye on Kara. As much as she hated to admit it, she was afraid that Kara would snap.

"…that's the way it's been for the past few years." Sherri was winding down. The story she had told had wrenched all their hearts. The world she had depicted with her words was a world of fear, death, and destruction. A world without hope.

Without hope! Jenny sat up in her seat. She had come into the middle of Sherri's description. Like Rogue, she had not been able to rest and, rather than intrude on Rogue and those trying to help Kara, she had made her way to the conference room. Now she contemplated the emerald ring on her finger. Though she cold not say why, her thoughts had turned to Parallax. A visitor from another Probability. Without him, She would still be She-Hulk.

"Without him." She amended to herself, "I'd be dead!"

"I think I may have an idea." She spoke hesitantly when Sherri grew quiet. "I think I know of a way we can introduce a little hope. We just need the right person. And since Kara is sorta out of it, I know just the person to call!" Everyone's eyes widened as a small green figure formed in the center of the table. "Linda Danvers!"

**_End of A World Without Heroes: _**

**_Chapter 4_**

**_Click here to go to Chapter 5_**


	5. Chapter 5  By Jason Froikin

_The Other Side_

A World Without Heroes

Chapter 5

An Otherverse/SGPI Crossover

By Jason Froikin

Cities full of hatred, fear and lies  
Withered hearts and cruel, tormented eyes  
Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise  
Beating down the multitude and  
Scoffing at the wise  
Can't we raise our eyes and make a start?  
Can't we find the minds to lead us  
Closer to the Heart?

-_A Farewell To Kings__RUSH_

"Come on, Charlie, we're gonna be late!", Linda insisted. Charlie didn't seem the least bit concerned about being late for her appearance in Metropolis, even though it took Cutter months to set it up.

"Can't I even finish watching this movie?", Charlie asked.

"No, we don't have time."

"Sure we do", Charlie said, "All we have to do is use that wing transporter of yours-"

Linda frowned at Charlie. "You know very well that's not what it's called. And just because I have that ability doesn't mean I should abuse it."

"Abuse it?", Charlie joked, "You barely even use it."

"All right, fine", Linda said, "I just love flying. Sue me."

"Funny you should mention that", Charlie said, "There's this lawyer named Jennifer Walters who keeps leaving messages for you-"

"Not interested", Linda said, "I've never had use for lawyers. Are you ready to go yet?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Supergirl flew high above Leesburg, heading toward Metropolis. As usual, Charlie insisted on tagging along, so she held him in front of her by his waist to keep him from falling.

"Are you going to use your wings?", Charlie nagged.

"All right, all right. If it'll stop your nagging, I'll use them."

In a sudden flash of light and heat, Supergirl's cape quickly but silently took the form of flaming wings, which unfolded gently. As soon as they did, a tunnel of flame opened up ahead of Supergirl and she began heading through it with Charlie.

As soon as she entered the tunnel, however, she noticed something strange. Everything was...green. Supergirl, Charlie, and the tunnel were bathed in emerald green light. She didn't think it was terribly important, and it was too late to stop anyway - she'd be through the tunnel in a second anyway.

The next thing she knew, she saw a green-skinned woman in a Green Lantern costume right in front of her. She braced to protect Charlie from the impact as she crashed right into the woman.

"Hey, watch where you're going!", the woman yelled.

"I...I'm sorry", Supergirl apologized, "I just shunted over here, I couldn't see-"

The woman smiled. "I'm Jennifer Walters", she said, "In this reality I'm She-Hulk and Green Lantern. But you can call me Jen."

"Excuse me", Supergirl said, "Did you just say...'This reality'?"

"Yes, I did", Jen said, "You're from another reality. That's why seeing me as a Green Lantern doesn't make sense to you."

"I...see", Linda said hesitantly as she continued to hold on to Charlie.

"Uh, do you two mind if we land before we talk?", Charlie asked, sheepishly. He was a little afraid of what could happen if Supergirl's attention wandered while she was talking.

A translucent green blanket which came out of nowhere suddenly wrapped itself around Charlie. As soon as it did, Charlie felt like he was gliding on his own, without the help of Supergirl. Supergirl noticed that Charlie felt a little lighter, so she released her grip on him.

"I'm flying!", Charlie yelled.

"Happier now?", Jen asked with a smile.

"Definitely", Charlie said, "This is wonderful!"

Supergirl smiled and watched Charlie as he swished back and forth in the air and spun around, testing his new Green Lantern supplied power of flight. She hoped it was safe, but she decided not to let Charlie get too far away from her, just in case.

"So how did you get to be a Green Lantern?", Supergirl asked.

"Oh, that's a long story", Jen answered as she turned suddenly in the air, "But if you follow me you might just get a better idea of what's going on."

Supergirl looked ahead to see why Jen turned suddenly. She was heading to a huge building painted in frighteningly vivid colors. Supergirl recognized it vaguely, but she just couldn't place the name of it.

"The Fantastic Four headquarters", Jen announced, anticipating Supergirl's next question.

"The what?", Supergirl asked.

Jen laughed. "You'll see", she said, "Our universe isn't as complicated as yours. You'll understand everything soon."

"You think my universe is complicated?" Supergirl watched as Jen started diving toward the roof of the building with Charlie close behind.

As she followed, Supergirl felt a little annoyed that Charlie was getting the hang of flying so quickly that she had to work a little bit to keep up with him.

A second later, all three of them landed on the roof of the building, and the green layer around Charlie vanished.

"Hey!", Charlie whined.

"You won't be needing that now", Jen explained.

Supergirl looked at Charlie and shrugged. "Sorry, Charlie. I don't have the power to give other people flight."

"Come on, guys", Jen said as she opened the door to the stairway, "I'd like you to meet a few people."

Supergirl looked at Charlie as Jen walked ahead of them into the stairway. "Hey, Charlie? I don't think we're in Kansas any more."

As soon as Supergirl entered the meeting room, a look of total shock appeared on her face. "Oh my god, you're-"

"Kara Zor-El", Kara interrupted.

"And I'm Rogue", Rogue added.

Supergirl looked at the small 'S' emblem attached to Rogue's uniform, and then looked down at her own shirt.

"Don't look so surprised, honey", Rogue said with a laugh, "I'm Kara's sister now. It's a long story."

"You're not really related, are you?", Charlie asked.

"Not really", Kara said, "She's made of the same DNA that I am, though. As she said, it's a long story."

"If you want to read about what happened, it's in the archives", a man who just entered the room said, "It's titled 'The Rebirth'."

"This is Reed Richards", Kara said as she indicated toward him with her arm, "And behind him is his wife, Sue."

"Nice to meet you", Supergirl said nervously, "I'd like to read the archives, but I really need to get home."

"You have plenty of time", a man said as he faded into existence next to Supergirl, "All of it, to be exact."

"This is Dr. Strange, trying hard to live up to his name", Kara said as she made a face at him. Strange smiled and bowed in response.

Jen led a large green-skinned, dark-haired man closer to Supergirl - who recognized him immediately as the Hulk. "And this-"

"...Is Bruce Banner", Supergirl interrupted, "At least you never change."

Hulk smiled. "The classics never go out of style, Supergirl."

"So, can anyone tell me why Charlie and I are here?", Supergirl asked as she looked from one person to another.

"Oh, that's simple", Jen said, "I brought you here. We need your help, Supergirl."

"You were a police captain?"

Supergirl's question interrupted a strategy meeting with Reed, Sue, Jen, Kara, Rogue, and a woman named Sherri Penison from...well, somewhere else. Her interruption drew an angry look from Reed, who was in the middle of explaining, in complicated terms, exactly what this 'Otherverse' was. Supergirl, of course, understood none of it.

"I know the police commissioner of Leesburg", Supergirl continued, in spite of the fact that everyone was staring at her.

"May I continue?", Reed asked sarcastically.

"No offense", Supergirl retorted, "But I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I don't think anyone else does either."

Sue snorted as she tried to stifle a laugh. Apparently, she also believed that Reed's scientific explanation of multiple co-existing universes was too complicated for the average person.

"I suppose someone else could explain it better?", Reed challenged.

Kara stood up. "I thought you'd never ask. There are an infinite number of parallel universes created with every choice each of us make. We are aware of only a few of these universes-"

"Probabilities", Reed interrupted.

Without a word, Sue slapped his shoulder to warn him to keep quiet.

"One is ours", Kara continued, "One is yours, and then there is this 'Otherverse'."

Supergirl smiled. "And you scientific types couldn't come up with a better name then 'Otherverse'?"

"I dunno", Jen said, "I think it's pretty cool."

"Earth, in this 'Otherverse'", Reed interrupted loudly, "Is a dark world, filled with war, destruction, and death. This is a world without hope."

Jen turned and looked right at Supergirl. "That's where you come in."

"Me?", Supergirl asked, "Why?"

"Superman informed us of your original mission...at the time of your creation", Jen said, "You were created in a pocket universe for the purpose of rallying peace in a universe devoid of heroes."

"So?"

"We'd like you to do the same here", Sue said.

"Now wait a minute-"

Sherri stood up suddenly and pounded her fists on the table, making a loud noise that startled everyone in the room. Her expression told everyone that she was very upset. "Reed is right. My Earth has no hope."

Sherri looked into Supergirl's eyes with a pleading expression. "I've seen people murdered before my eyes. I've watched whole cities being destroyed. My world is dying, Supergirl. We need you."

Supergirl bit her lip and sighed as she looked around the room - all eyes were on her, waiting for her to make a decision. "Okay. What do I do?"

"Why don't you just call it a transporter?", Charlie asked as Reed talked on and on with pride about the projector, and how it was going to send Supergirl and a small team to this 'Otherverse', and then retrieve them later. "We've all seen Star Trek, so it makes more sense that way."

"Oh, so now you speak up", Reed said, "You stood in a corner watching us work since the moment you got here, and the first words to come out of your mouth are-"

Reed suddenly found himself lifted off of the ground, as a small hand held him up by his shirt. He was face-to-face with Supergirl, her eyes glowing as an ominous warning.

"Watch it, Reed", Supergirl threatened, "Charlie's a very good friend of mine."

Reed looked at Kara, hoping for some kind of defense, or at least for her to speak to Supergirl on his behalf. Kara had her hand over her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. As far as she could remember, not one of the powerful beings she'd known since she'd been there dared assault Reed, even though he tended to grate on people's nerves.

"Put him down", Charlie said, "You're scaring him."

"I'm so sorry, Reed", Supergirl said as she put Reed back down on the ground and helped him smooth out his shirt, "I...I'm just nervous, and very protective of my friends. I hope you can forgive me."

"No harm done", Reed said as he looked at Supergirl with a little amusement. Her personality perplexed him - all of that power wrapped in a shell that was just so...human. She wasn't a seasoned super-hero, she was simply a young girl with extraordinary abilities.

"So when do we go?", Charlie asked.

"We don't", Supergirl said, "You're staying right here."

"Oh, come on!", Charlie whined.

Supergirl stood in front of Charlie and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Charlie, if you were hurt, and I could have prevented it, I would never forgive myself. Please, wait here. I'll tell you everything that happened when I get back."

"If you make it back", Charlie mumbled.

Supergirl smiled. "I have every intention of coming back. And I'm bringing the entire team back with me."

Supergirl, Kara, Jen, and Sherri stepped into the projector. Supergirl gave a quick thumbs up to Charlie as Reed started adjusting the controls. As the machine activated, Supergirl said, "See you on the other side, Ray!"

Supergirl's cape lit up like a bonfire suddenly and quickly took the shape of wings as Jen and Sherri ducked and ran for cover. Kara and Rogue had already been knocked to the ground by laser blasts, so Supergirl wanted to try and shield Jen and Sherri as best as she could.

"Real smart, Reed!", Sherri growled as dozens of stray laser blasts went past, "I can't believe he dropped us in the middle of a battlefield!"

Suddenly, the firing stopped completely. Sherri and Jen looked up to see Supergirl crush the last laser weapon into a ball. "That's enough of that nonsense."

Supergirl looked around her, and suddenly realized that she was surrounded. Not by people with intent to harm her - with spectators, staring at her! "What...?"

Sherri stood up. "It's your wings, Supergirl. They think you're an agent of heaven." She turned to Jen and Kara, who were standing behind her, confused. "They...think God has ordered an end to their battle."

Supergirl smiled to herself. If these people thought of her as an agent of God, she would have an easy time of convincing them to stop fighting. Only she also worried about whether or not that would be an abuse of her power. She didn't have much time to think, though - the crowd of people who were staring at her suddenly converged on her and began touching her wings.

"What are you people doing?"

"Please, take me", a teen-aged boy said, "Take me to heaven. I don't want to live here anymore."

Supergirl's wings vanished quickly to be replaced by her cape, much to the disappointment of the crowd. She kneeled down in front of the teen, and held his chin. "It's not your time yet. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"I don't want my life", the teen said, "My life is a nightmare. Please, I want to go to heaven, so I can see my mom, my dad, and my sister."

"Listen", Supergirl said, "Your mom, your dad, your sister - they may be in heaven, but what they want the most is for you to live your life here. They want you to enjoy what the Earth has to offer you. Once you're in heaven, you'll never see any of it again."

"We have nothing!", a woman piped up as she pushed her way through the crowd to talk to Supergirl, "Look at our town - destroyed! Our school is gone, our homes are gone. What do we have left on this Earth?"

Supergirl stood up. "You have hope. Each and every one of you. You have the capability to rise above what your planet has become, to make it a better place. You have the capacity to love. Love each other, and you will survive."

Grumbling within the crowd began, as they started to process what Supergirl said. "But what about our homes?", one man yelled above the din.

"Jen, if you please?", Supergirl asked.

Jen floated a few hundred feet off of the ground, and began glowing green. After some loud roaring as bricks, concrete, and mortar began moving around them, the town reconstructed itself in mere minutes. Even the fountain in the center of town began running - they town now had running water. As a last detail, a green dome suddenly flashed into existence over the town and faded away.

"How's that?", Jen said, "I even threw in an automatic shield to respond to attacks."

"How can we thank you?", an old woman asked. For some reason, Supergirl vaguely recognized the woman.

"Simple", Supergirl said, "Live your lives. Spread peace and prosperity around the world. It only takes a small spark to light a fire, people. If you provide a beacon of hope, you will succeed."

As the crowd began heading toward their little proud town, Supergirl looked up at a billboard restored by Jen during her quick rebuild of the town. She froze as she read what it said: "Welcome to Smallville, Kansas."

Kara found Supergirl sitting high up in a tree, a few miles outside of the town they had just saved. She was sitting on a large branch, curled up in a ball and crying.

"What's wrong?", Kara asked as she floated up next to Supergirl.

"Don't you understand where we are?", Supergirl sniffed, "Didn't you read the billboard?"

"Yes", Kara responded calmly, "I knew we were coming here all along. It was my idea, actually."

Supergirl looked at Kara as if she had just been betrayed. "You...knew?"

Kara shook her head 'yes'.

"And that old woman was-."

"Ma Kent", Kara interrupted.

"What about Pa Kent?", Supergirl whispered.

Kara put her hand on Supergirl's shoulder. "He's...dead."

"And...Superman?"

"He was killed by Lex Luthor", Kara responded slowly, "He wasn't such a nice guy on this Earth."

Supergirl looked into Kara's eyes, as an alarm suddenly went off in her mind. "How did Pa Kent die?"

"Killed by Superman."

Supergirl began shaking now, as the gravity of just how different this Earth was began to sink in. This Earth was a scary place. A place where she didn't want to be. This place was hell.

Kara squeezed Supergirl's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No", Supergirl said sadly, "I want to go home."

"Did you find her?", Rogue asked as Kara landed in front of her. Kara had no idea when Rogue came through the projector, but she decided not to ask.

Kara pointed up in the sky above her, where Supergirl was hovering overhead. "Does that answer your question?"

"Where was she?", Rogue asked.

"Up a tree...literally." Kara looked up at the sky, where Supergirl was still floating. "Come down here, Supergirl."

"I was just thinking", Supergirl responded, as she flew down to the ground and came to rest gently on her feet, "Maybe we should check out Metropolis and Gotham City."

"Gotham City?", Sherri laughed, "There's no Gotham City here."

"What?", Supergirl asked, "Then where does Bruce Wayne live?"

"Bruce Wayne?" Sherri didn't understand. She obviously had no idea who he was.

"Amazing", Supergirl said as she shook her head and started walking away.

"I'm with her", Jen said, "We should check out Metropolis. In every reality I've seen, there's been a Lex Luthor. There's gotta be one-"

Jen stopped when she noticed that Sherri had just turned pale, and was quaking in fear. "What did I say?"

"L-Lex Luthor?", Sherri stuttered, "Oh, no. We're not getting anywhere near him! Nobody sees him!"

"Oh, come on", Supergirl said, "I've dealt with him before. He's heartless, but not necessarily evil."

Sherri stared at Supergirl in disbelief. "Are you nuts? Lex Luthor is responsible for the murder of millions!"

Now it was Supergirl's turn to become pale. "Millions? How? He's just an arms dealer!"

"Was just an arms dealer", Sherri added, "When he stopped making enough money on that, he began raising his own army of robotic warriors-"

Supergirl raised up a hand and turned her head away from Sherri. "I don't want to know any more. Forget Metropolis, what about Leesburg?"

"Leesburg is gone", Sherri said.

"Gone? What do you mean 'gone'?"

"It's vaporized. Too close to one of the nuclear impact zones."

Supergirl sighed. "Metropolis it is, then."

"I'm ready", Kara said, "Let's grab some sky."

Supergirl paused and looked at Kara. "Grab some sky? I haven't heard that one yet."

Rogue tried to stifle a laugh as Kara turned and gave her a dirty look. "I told you those eighties expressions would get you in trouble."

Supergirl took off suddenly, and started heading toward Metropolis. She didn't dare use her shunt power on this version of Earth - no telling where she might end up. The rest of the group followed, Sherri being flown in a small green ball generated by Jen.

"Uh, guys", Jen said in mid-flight, "We've lost contact with Reed somehow."

"So?", Kara asked.

"So, we can't go home until he finds us again."

Everyone looked at Supergirl, to see how she'd react to the news - especially since she reacted so badly to learning about Smallville on this Earth. But Supergirl didn't react at all. She didn't say a word for the rest of the trip to Metropolis.

They landed on the roof of a large hotel in Metropolis. As soon as they did, Sherri's paranoia level went to an all-time high. "We're here. Now what?"

"Oh my God! What on Earth is that?" Those were the first words out of Supergirl's mouth since they left Smallville. She was referring to a troop of heavily armed military troops down the street in a military formation. They all were wearing 'LexCorp' logos. That's when she also noticed that there were no people outside.

"Uh-oh", Sherri whispered.

"Uh-oh, what?", Jen asked.

"We're here after Curfew", Sherri explained, "If we're caught outside in this part of town, we'll be executed. It was one of Lex Luthor's first decrees when he restored order to Metropolis."

Kara stood leaning over the edge of the building, motionless, as she watched the troops going past. Unknown to her companions, she was watching a small boy who was hiding under the sewer grate, hoping the troops wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, Kara lost her patience when the troops hung around longer then she had hoped.

"Kara, no!", Rogue yelled as Kara leaped off of the side of the building. Rogue rushed over to the ledge and dove over too.

"Oh, nuts!", Supergirl mumbled as she raced to the ledge to watch from above.

Kara landed next to the band of troops. They all immediately opened fire on her. Even though they couldn't hurt her, Kara was operating on autopilot, trying to protect both her companions and the child in the sewer the only way she could think of - her eyes quickly glowed a bright red, and a searing beam of laser-precise heat came from her eyes. She made a wide sweep with the beams, slicing all of the troops in half and damaging several surrounding buildings.

Rogue landed a second too late. She looked around for a second, and then said the only thing she could think of. "Kara...Why?"

Kara looked up at Supergirl, who was still standing on top of the building. Supergirl was crying, and shaking her head. All of a sudden, Kara began to understand the gravity of her actions - she let rage take control of her again. She looked down at the sewer grate, and leaned toward the child hiding below. The child looked frightened - of her!

Supergirl leaped off of the building and landed on the ground next to Kara. "We've got to get you home, Kara. This place is getting to you."

"No", Kara said quietly as she hung her head, "It's not."

"It's complicated", Rogue said, "It's something Kara needs to work through on her own."

Supergirl looked angry all of a sudden. "She just killed about a dozen people, Rogue! How can you be so...relaxed about this?"

"Listen!", Sherri chimed in, "Can we save this for later? More troops could still show up, so let's get our mission over with and get outta Metropolis!"

"Okay", Supergirl said as she eyed Kara suspiciously, "But from now on I'll handle any confrontations."

Rogue looked at Kara, expecting another show of rage from her - Kara didn't like having to let someone else handle things. Yet Kara didn't seem to react. She just stood with her head hanging, and quietly followed Supergirl as she walked down the street.

"Kara?", Rogue asked.

Kara just waved Rogue away.

The LexCorp building was the most familiar building Supergirl had seen on this version of Earth so far. She smiled, as she thought to herself that Luthor's tastes don't vary much from one Earth to the next. As usual, it was a huge, imposing, shiny tower, larger then any building in Metropolis. And since he was the unchallenged ruler of Metropolis, it was most likely the tallest by law.

Supergirl stopped in midair and looked at Kara, who still seemed rather depressed. She turned to Rogue, Jen, and Sherri, who was in another little green ball. "Could you guys hang out on the roof for a minute?"

Rogue herded the other members of the team onto the roof, and left Kara and Supergirl. Supergirl led Kara over to the big Lexcorp logo and sat down inside the letter 'L'. Kara sat down next to her.

"Kara, what's wrong?", Supergirl asked, "You've been so outgoing since we arrived in this place, and now you're so...quiet."

Kara shook her head and looked down at the ground. "I let you down, Supergirl. I thought I could be some kind of...role model. Instead you see me as a monster."

Supergirl gave Kara a sympathetic look. "I don't think you're a monster at all. I just wonder what happened to you...why you're holding on to so much anger."

A tear started running down Kara's cheek. "I honestly don't know, Supergirl. I wish my life had more...joy."

"Joy?", Supergirl asked. As Kara turned to look back at her, she could see something. Something hidden deep in Kara's mind, or soul. "You...had a child?"

Kara gave Supergirl a tearful, empty look which said everything and nothing at the same time. Supergirl hugged Kara. She knew it wouldn't soothe Kara's deepest feelings, but it would make her feel a little better for the moment.

"Supergirl", Kara whispered, "I have a confession to make...about why I felt so terrible that you were disappointed in me."

"Okay, shoot. It'll just be between you, me, and the giant 'L'."

Kara snickered at Supergirl's joke a little. "After I saw you at work in Smallville, I felt so proud of you. You're like the daughter I never had. When you were upset back there, I felt like you were ashamed of me."

Supergirl smiled. "Kara, I may wear this costume, but I'm someone much different then you-"

"I know", Kara interrupted, "You're not anything like me. But that's why I feel so proud of you. You're everything I wish I could be."

"So why don't you?", Supergirl said, "Anyone can be like me. Well, not an Angel or a super-hero, but anyone can be compassionate and care about other people."

Kara shook her head. "I dunno. I've been through a lot. It's not easy for me to change."

"Change takes time and patience, Kara", Supergirl said, "Just take it one step at a time. I should know, I had to deal with becoming a merged being."

Kara laughed as she squeezed Supergirl's hand. "Thanks, Supergirl."

Supergirl floated off of the giant 'L'. "You can call me Mae if you'd like. Superman and Ma and Pa Kent are the only ones who call me that."

"Okay...Mae", Kara said as she followed Supergirl toward the roof.

As soon as Kara and Supergirl landed on the roof of the LexCorp building, they noticed something strange. They were the only ones on the roof - with the exception of a small boy.

"Wally?", Supergirl asked. She recognized him with his bowler hat, glasses, and baseball bat immediately, "Where is everyone?"

"Who's Wally?", Kara asked.

Wally held his hand out to Kara. "Hi. I'm God."

Kara started laughing hysterically. "I don't think so. I've seen Rao close up."

Wally ignored Kara for a moment and turned to Supergirl. "All of your friends went inside. I see you've decided to visit a different Earth."

"Yes", Supergirl said, "I wanted to try and bring hope to the poor people on this planet."

"I know", Wally said, "But I'm sorry to tell you that you've done more harm then good."

"I have?"

"Yup", Wally continued, "Sometimes you just have to let time take it's course."

"Before I forget", Wally said as he turned to Kara and looked up at her, "You have a second chance at life for a reason. Please don't throw it away, Kara. Oh, and your cousin is still proud of you."

Wally tipped back his bowler hat with his baseball bat and smiled. Kara's expression froze in both fear and surprise as she recognized something in his smile.

"Rao", Kara whispered as Wally turned and walked into the stairway of the LexCorp building.

Kara stared at Supergirl in awe for a few seconds. Supergirl smiled in response. "You get used to that after a while."

"So you are an agent of God? Of Rao?"

Supergirl shrugged. "Who cares. I've got my own problems to deal with."

Kara smiled. "I like your attitude, Mae. You're some kind of angel, and you don't seem to care."

"So?"

"So", Kara said, "If I was an angel, there's so much I'd want to do. I'd want to visit my version of Kal, and-"

"Listen, Kara", Supergirl said, "Being an Earth-born angel sounds great unless you are one. I mean, it's okay, but to tell you the truth it's not as fun as it sounds."

"Oh."

"Disappointed?"

"Well", Kara said as she kicked a few pebbles around on the roof, "Since I heard you were some kind of angel, I thought...maybe...you could talk to Kal for me and see how he's doing."

Supergirl smiled shyly. "Kara, some things are better off left alone."

Kara hung her head. "I...I'm sorry. It was presumptuous of me to ask."

"No, not at all, Kara", Supergirl said as she placed a hand on Kara's shoulder, "I've actually been waiting for you to ask just that."

Kara smiled at Supergirl just before she leaned her head on Supergirl's shoulder and began crying. Supergirl hugged Kara - she knew that in spite of Kara's tough exterior, deep down her emotions were in pieces. Kara cried for a good ten minutes, like a lost soul who had just been given a reason to live.

"Where in the world is Lex Luthor?", Supergirl asked as she looked out the window of his top-floor office. The whole team wandered around the building for a good half hour before realizing that Lex Luthor wasn't there. That was unusual back on her own Earth, where Luthor would almost always be in his office.

"Beats me", Rogue said as she eyed Kara. She noticed that Kara had been clinging closer to Supergirl then herself since the moment they arrived there. She felt a little jealous, even though she also noticed that it seemed to be more of an artificial mother-daughter relationship. The part that bothered her most was that it was unhealthy - she knew that the minute Supergirl went back home, Kara would be a basket case again.

"Well, Luthor's not that important", Supergirl said, "We'll take our message of peace to the streets."

"Let's take the quick way", Kara said as she lifted Lex Luthor's stainless steel desk like it were made of cardboard and tossed it through the plate glass window.

Supergirl was just about to ask why they didn't just use the balcony door - but then she noticed there was none! The Lex Luthor on her Earth must have had one installed just so she and Superman could enter without breaking any glass!

The team landed on the street a second later. They purposely landed on a busy street to have a large crowd to talk to. As soon as they did, all activity on the street stopped, and some people ran or drove away quickly. Those who didn't leave seemed very angry.

"Wh-What's going on?", Supergirl asked Sherri, hoping to get some guidance from a native of this world.

Sherri pointed at Supergirl's shirt. "You're wearing his colors."

"Who's?"

"Superman's", Sherri said, "He was a bad guy, remember? He nearly destroyed Metropolis!"

As an empty can of Coke bounced off of Supergirl's shoulder, she frowned at Sherri. "Thanks for telling me that now!"

Within only a few seconds, the whole team was being pelted by rocks, cans, bricks - anything the angry crowd could pick up and throw at the team. Through the flood of debris, Supergirl spotted a large television screen over a nearby park. Lex Luthor was on television! He was warning the people of Metropolis about 'another alien' come to destroy their city, and telling them it was their civic duty to destroy her.

Supergirl's cape erupted in flames, and molded into the appearance of wings quickly. She floated a few feet off of the ground. "Listen to me, all of you! I'm not who you think I am!"

While Supergirl was busy talking, a dark car with tinted windows drove past playing loud music. Back on her Earth, they were called 'gang-bangers'. They usually handled drive-by shootings for gangs. She focused on the car and started moving to intercept it.

The car did something unexpected - it swerved away from Supergirl, and plowed right over Sherri, who was ducking to avoid gunfire from snipers up above.

"No!", Supergirl yelled. She punched right through the car window, and grabbed the 'B' pillar, causing the entire frame of the car to bend as she swung it around and slammed it into a building. The occupants were unconscious, but still alive.

Only the crowd interpreted that as an act of aggression. Supergirl heard what she could only describe as a battle cry as the angry crowd began charging them, pelting them with even more debris. The team was about to be crushed by an angry mob.

Supergirl looked quickly over at Kara. She could see Kara's eyes glowing, and rage was apparent in her body language. She just knew that Kara was going to kill again - and afterward, she would regret it again. Supergirl grabbed Kara with one arm, and Sherri with the other.

"Everyone back to Luthor's office!", she yelled as she rose up alongside the building rapidly, both trying to keep the angry, thrashing Kara out of trouble and keep Sherri from dying.

"How dare you!", Kara yelled at Supergirl once they arrived in Luthor's office, "How dare you embarrass me like that, carry me up here like a rag doll!"

Rogue flinched with every syllable. Kara's clenched fists and teeth, narrowed eyes, and deepened voice told her that Kara was extremely angry. She was bracing for a fight between Kara and Supergirl.

"I did it for your own good", Supergirl said in a calm, steady voice, "It would have done us all no good if you fought the crowd. Look what happened to Sherri, even before we made any move. It could have been much worse."

"I could have handled them", Kara fumed, "You just didn't give me the chance!"

"Yes, you could have", Supergirl said, "But then what? What would you have accomplished? You would have hurt more people, adding to the guilt you already feel, Kara."

"Uh, guys?", Jen interrupted, "Sherri's dead."

Kara and Rogue raced over to look at Sherri. Supergirl didn't - instead, she stood and sadly looked out of the broken window of Luthor's office, watching a riot in progress below. This place was so frightening to her. It was like people's good nature had been replaced by hate, and evil. Everything she believed about humanity meant nothing here. This was truly another Earth.

Supergirl turned around, and was the first to spot a woman in a dark robe enter the office. The woman looked rather young, but had long, pure white hair. She recognized the woman as someone she'd seen before on her own Earth.

"Twilight", Supergirl whispered.

The woman froze and started at Supergirl, as if she couldn't understand what Supergirl was saying.

"Step aside", the woman said as she approached Sherri. Kara, Rogue, and Jen jumped out of the way as a black fog came from the woman's fingers and enveloped both Sherri and herself. Then, just as fast, the fog dissipated - and the woman was gone.

Sherri sat up. "Wh...What's going on?"

"The Twilight of your Earth saved your life", Supergirl answered.

Kara shook her head in disbelief. "I think it's time we all went home. This place is starting to get to all of us."

"It's not getting to me", Jen volunteered.

Supergirl looked around the room at everyone. "Kara's right, this place is getting to us. I'm becoming depressed, Rogue has become silent and sullen, and Kara's become emotionally unstable."

"I hate to tell you this", Rogue pointed out, "But Kara is always emotionally unstable."

"Well", Supergirl said, "I want to go home. Who's with me?"

"But...What about our mission to try and rally these people to peace?", Jen asked.

Supergirl shook her head. "I never thought I'd say this...But the people on this Earth are savages. They'd rather see blood then peace."

Sherri smiled. "I told you so."

"How do we get home?", Jen asked, "Reed hasn't found us yet. It could be weeks before he does."

Without a word, Supergirl's wings of flame burst to life, and began creating a trail to form a sort of tunnel ahead of her. "Who's coming with me?"

Reed stood, hands shaking, in the middle of his lab, holding a fire extinguisher. He was confused and frightened after seeing a huge fireball appear in the lab, and then watching Jen, Sherri, Rogue, Kara, and Supergirl step through it suddenly. Then, just like that, the fireball was gone.

"What's the matter, Reed?", Charlie asked as he calmly sat with his feet on a lab counter, reading 'The Rebirth', "Never seen a shunt before?"

Reed put down the fire extinguisher and scowled at Charlie. "How did you five get back here?"

Supergirl smiled. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Reed."

Reed slowly reached out and touched Supergirl's wings gently. He knew they were made of flame, and yet they didn't burn his hand! They were warm, and comforting.

"Do you mind?", Supergirl said as her wings vanished, leaving her floor length cape.

"I'm sorry", Reed explained, "I was just...curious. How do those work?"

Supergirl shrugged. "God knows."

Reed frowned. He was unhappy with the idea of Supergirl walking around with a strange ability she didn't care to find an explanation for. He was a man of reason, of science. He wanted to see things work out before his eyes.

"Supergirl", Reed said, "How do you deal with a power you don't understand?"

"Faith, Reed", Supergirl replied, "I don't have to understand everything. The world keeps turning whether I understand it or not."

"She's right, you know", Charlie interrupted, "Control what you can, and leave the rest to nature. It'll all work out in the end."

"And what about Otherverse?", Jen asked, "Will things work out there too?"

"Things will work out as they were intended to", Supergirl said as she looked at Dr. Strange, "Just like I was intended to go home, to my own Earth."

"You may go any time you please", Dr. Strange said, "You have possessed that power since you arrived."

Supergirl smiled. "You're right, Dr. Strange. I just didn't realize it until I needed to use it to get back here from Otherverse."

Jen stepped forward quickly and shook Supergirl's hand. "Thanks anyway for the help. At least you saved one town in Otherverse. Maybe that will be a source of inspiration for the people of that Earth."

"I hope so", Supergirl said.

Kara walked up to Supergirl quickly and hugged her so tightly, she lifted Supergirl right off of her feet. "I hope I see you again soon, Mae."

Supergirl returned the hug and smiled again. "Thank you Kara. I'm glad I had the chance to get to know you better."

Supergirl glanced over at the doorway into the room, and spotted Rogue, leaning against the doorway, looking rejected. Supergirl walked over to Rogue, and gave her a hug, catching her by surprise. "Take care of yourself, Rogue. I've never met you before, but I will remember you."

Rogue smiled and returned the hug. "And I thought you didn't like me."

Supergirl grabbed Charlie's hand, and walked to the other end of the room as her cape lit ablaze once again.

"So, did you learn anything interesting in this Otherverse?", Charlie asked.

"Yes", Supergirl said as she walked toward a flaming tunnel with Charlie, "There's no place like home."

End of **_A World Without Heroes - Chapter Five_**.

**_Click here to go to Chapter 6_**

Story written and copyrighted © 2000 by Jason Froikin,

and may not be reprinted without permission.

Supergirl and some other characters are property of D.C. Comics

Certain characters are property of Marvel Comics


	6. Chapter 6

_**A World**_

_**Without Heroes**_

In a world without heroes

There's nothing to be

It's no place for me

-_Music From the Elder_

_KISS_

**Chapter 6**

"Well." Reed shook himself back to the here and now, startling everyone. They had watched amazed as Linda and Charlie faded from sight, returning to their own Probability.

Rogue, hesitantly at first, moved over to stand next to Kara. She was still staring at the spot Supergirl had occupied just seconds before, her gaze distant, as if she were seeing into the past.

"I'm still not sure I understand all this." Sherri mused. "If she is the Supergirl from Kara's Probability…"

"It's a long story." Prof. Xavier guided his hover chair over to the woman. "Why don't you follow me and I'll explain it to you while you're being examined."

"Examined?" Sherri looked down at Xavier, slightly alarmed.

"Just a precautionary examination." Dr. Strange added as he moved in on her other side. "We just want to make sure that your experience hasn't left you harmed you permanently.

"Only mentally." Sherri shivered, recalling the fear and pain as the gang-bangers had steered their auto over her. "Though I want to know more about this Twilight person."

"As would I." Reed agreed, somewhat bitterly. He hated not being involved and he hated the unexplained. Though, it appeared that he had best get used to it, especially where Otherverse or Linda Danvers was concerned.

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked softly as she and Lar closed in with Kara and Rogue. She searched Kara's eyes, looking for some clue, sighing softly as she looked over to see Rogue shake her head slightly.

"I'm not sure." Kara finally responded. "That girl is what I once was. In a manner of speaking." Her head tilted as she considered. "Naïve, to be sure. Innocent almost to the point of ridiculous. But there is something…"

"She's an angel, Kara." Jenny smiled.

"She's more than that, Jenny." Kara disagreed. She shivered, remembering her encounter with Wally. "There is no doubt that she is touched by deity, how ever you wish to conceive it, but that is not what I was talking about."

"Well, whatever it is, I am sure it will be a long time before she forgets Otherverse." Rogue chipped in.

"I'm afraid you're right." Jenny agreed, though she still looked at Kara. Like Rogue, she still worried about Kara's mental state. Now, after seeing her actions during Linda's visit, she was even more concerned. She, like Rogue, knew just about everything there was to know about Kara. They had booth been there almost from the beginning when Reed Richards and Dr. Strange had resurrected the young woman by combining the soul of Kara Zor-El with the empty shell that was all that remained of a clone of Kara's original body.

She knew, as did Rogue, that the old Kara would never have given in to fits of rage that this Kara suffered under ever since they had arrived in Otherverse… Jenny's eyes grew wide.

"Ohmygod!" She breathed. Both Kara and Rogue looked at her, puzzled. "I think I know what the problem is." She looked at Rogue. "If I'm right, then we'll have to keep a close watch on her."

"What are you talking about?" Though she knew her friends had been hovering over her like mother hens ever since the death of the little girl during their first visit to Otherverse, she had ignored it. It irritated her, but she recognized the reasoning behind it as being sound.

"The Shard!" Jennifer explained. She had waited until everyone could be gathered in the conference room before continuing. "Sherri told us that it was Superman that brought the Shard, what they call the Artifact, to Earth. She also told us that it was not long after that that he started on his reign of terror."

"So you think this Artifact was the reason for his personality change?" Reed asked. He had discussed this earlier, before the appearance of Linda Danvers, with Mon El and Sherri. It was the opinion of the people of this Probability that the Artifact was, indeed the cause of Superman's personality shift. Mon El had agreed it was possible. Jenny had not arrived to that meeting until they had gone one to another topic. So instead of informing her, Reed heard her out. After all, She was a Green Lantern now and might have more insight into the problem.

"I know from the memories stored in this ring," Jenny held up the emerald ring that glittered on her hand "That energy from the Great Batter could effect the Superman of Kara's Probability. So it stands to reason that energy from the Shard could effect the Superman of the this Probability."

"Are you saying that She…" Sherri pointed at Kara, "could become like him?" She shivered and shot Kara a frightened glance.

"Were she not forewarned, yes." Jenny admitted. "The Superman of Otherverse had no contact with the Green Lantern Corps. There is no way that he could have even suspected that something like the Shard could effect him. By the time he could have realized the truth, it was too late."

"Jenny has a point." Xavier nodded, looking at Kara. "The effects of the Shard are already making themselves felt. You can see that by watching how easy it is for her now to go into a rage. Yet with a little help, she might be able to stave off the effects of the Shard." He paused and looked at Rogue and Jenny. "It might be wise to assume that you could both be affected as well." He pointed at Rogue. "you must recall that what can affect Kara can and will affect you." He moved the pointing finger to Jenny. "And you might want to consider if your own power might be affected. If I understand correctly, your Lantern Energy came from the Great Battery of which the Shard was a part."

"Indirectly, yes." Jenny admitted. "Parallax absorbed all the energy from the battery into himself, or so he believed. What he passed on to me was a fraction of that energy. Thankfully, unlike the Green Lantern of Linda's Probability, I don't have to renew that energy every 24 hours. Parallax also cleansed an impurity in the energy that made it useless against anything colored yellow. I'm hoping that the cleansed energy will allow me to resist the taint of the Shard."

"What kind of help?" Kara demanded, somewhat suspiciously, returning the conversation back to Xavier's original statement.

"Perhaps a hypnotic suggestion." Xavier answered instantly. "Just a little something that will act to diffuse your rage."

"I've got a better idea." Rogue piped up. "Why not just find the Shard and deal with it."

"I'm afraid that may be a bit easier said than done." Reed answered. "I believe we have narrowed the location of the Shard to a specific area, yet that area is under direct control of LexCorps. And from what I was able to determine, they have the capability of stopping any attempt we might make to get to it."

"Are you kidding?" Rogue gave Reed a look, as if to remind him who he was talking to."

"Sherri," Reed spoke, though he was looking at Rogue. "Did this Superman of your have a weakness? And if so, what was it?"

"Well, it was said that he could be affected by different types of minerals from his home world. I believe it was called Kryptonite. The green variety, it was rumored, could kill him."

Reed said nothing for a moment, allowing Sherri's words to sink in.

"There you have it." He told them, seeing Rogue's eyes widen with realization. "They know that Kryptonite affected Superman."

"Hold it." Kara held up a hand. "Are we sure it is the same stuff. I know from talking to Linda that what they call kryptonite in her probability will have no effect on me, just as kryptonite that affects me will not bother her or Superman. Perhaps the same is true here."

"Are you willing to risk everything on that assumption?" Reed snapped. "I'm not. Kara, would you please stop being so obstinate and start thinking for a change!"

Quiet settled over the group as everyone looked at Reed in astonishment. Everyone, that is, except Xavier. He kept his eyes on Kara.

Reed, his voice strained with barely contained rage, ordered everyone out of the conference room.

"Not you, Kara." He snapped, his voice cold. "You and I are going to have a talk."

"Reed.." Sue began, touching his arm. He shrugged it off.

"No." He shook his head. "This needs to be done." He motioned for her to follow the others as they filed out. "You , too." This last addressed to Rogue and Jenny. They both stood on either side of Kara, their faces set in defiance.

"Not likely, Mr. Richards." Rogue snarled.

"No." Kara held up a hand, halting Rogue from saying anything further. "You and Jenny go. Reed is right. He and I need to clear the air." She placed a hand on the shoulders of her friends and squeezed lightly. "I'll be okay." She shoved them towards the door. When it closed behind them, she whirled back to Reed, her face totally devoid of emotion. "Well?"

Metropolis (Otherverse Probability)

From the shadows of a door way, he studied his surroundings. The Broach had worked. Better, he mused, than Reed's had. The plans he had gathered from Reed's computer, via his pet mechanical spy spiders, had allowed him to construct a similar device which he had then improved. Unlike the projector in the FF HQ, this device was built specifically as a Broach projector, rather than a Phantom Zone Projector. Maybe later, when he could take the time to install certain safeguards in his own lab, he would investigate this Phantom Zone further.

He lifted his left hand, checking on the deadman switch nestled in his palm, his fingers pressing the two buttons that kept the auto return feature he had added to the broach from activating. Given the volatile state of things in this Probability, a dead man switch had been a mere precaution. Should he, at any time, release his grip on the switch, he would instantly be transported to safety.

Satisfied that all precautions had been seen to, he activated the jump jets of his armor and soared in to the air, his green cloak fluttering in the wind.

There, that office there. He glided upwards angling quickly towards the target until he reached the same height as the shattered office window.

There was only one occupant in the office as he entered, quietly .

"I want to know who the hell they were and where they hell they came from!" The man was speaking quietly into a handheld comm. Unit as he survyed the damage in the office. His tone, though quiet, left no dougbt that this man was deadly serious and that he would have the answers he sought.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." The green-cloaked man spoke softly, his voice taking on a metallic sound as it was filtered through his face mask.

Lex Luthor whirled around, his empty hand now sporting an energy pistol.

"Just who the hell are you and how did you get in here?" Though he was obviously surprised, there was no fear in his tone. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight before him. The man was dressed, head to toe, in some form of armor. Over the armor, he wore a green cloak, its cowl pulled up so that only his masked face was visible.

The armored man gestured towards the shattered windows, as if that were explanation enough as to his entrance.

"You expressed a desire to know the identity and origins of those that have wrecked your office and caused a stir in the community."

"Alert code gamma." Lex spoke into the comm. unit before putting it in a pocket. The pistol never wavered. "As a matter of fact, I did." He then confirmed the armored man's statement.

"Three women? One green, approximately seven feet tall? One blond, and one red head with a white streak. Both of average build and height?"

"Actually, there were five women." Lex corrected, "Though three fit the descriptions. What do you know about them? And you still have not answered my first question. Who the devil are you?" He still showed no fear. Rather, his look was speculative. Here was, he knew, a man used to command, much as himself.

"Ah, I do apologize." The armored man made a slight bow, as one sovereign to another. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Doctor Victor Von Doom. I come from the same probability that these three women I have described come from."

"Dr. Doom, huh." Lex cocked his head and held up his hand, palm out as several armed and armored men, in Lex Corps battle armor, burst into the room. Weapons drawn and aimed straight at Dr. Doom. "At ease." He ordered. The men lowered their weapons slightly, yet made no move to leave the room.

"Probability." He mused, his eyes locking with those peering through the face mask. "Another way of saying an alternate reality, unless I miss my guess."

"My original supposition was correct." Doom nodded. "You are indeed an intelligent man. Yes, you are quite correct, Lex Luthor. An alternate reality. I know of these women, though I have only had the dubious pleasure of meeting one of them. I also know why they are here."

"And what might that be?"

"Why, they look for something I believe to be in your possession. They are looking for what you have named – The Artifact!"

"Where are we going now?" Rogue demanded as the broach effect faded. She looked around quickly, scanning the area with telescopic as well as x-ray vision. She, Kara, Sherri, Jenny, and Mon El stood in farm field just outside the town. The farmland had obviously not been plowed or tilled for years and was now over grown with weeds amid the wild grown crops.

"Smallville!" Mon El breathed. He turned to Kara, his eyes full of questions.

"It's time we got down to business." Kara told them. She and Reed had been locked in the conference room for over two hours. When they had finally opened the doors, allowing the others to come back in, neither looked extremely happy, yet the feeling of tension that had grown between the two seem to have dissipated a bit. Neither had, at that time, or any time since, offered to explain what they had discussed. "Reed seems to believe that the Artifact is being held in Metropolis by Lex Luthor. But we need to find out all we can about the Artifact itself before we go charging in. We need to find out exactly what we might expect, what effects it may have onus before we get anywhere close to it."

"So why Smallville?" Sherri asked. "Superboy may have been from here, but surely he left nothing here when he moved to Metropolis."

"Actually, he did leave something." Kara corrected. "She pointed with her chin towards a run down farm house situated in the midst of the farm land. Nearby, a vegetable garden, freshly tilled, took up about a half acre. Large enough to produce enough crops to keep a person from starving to death, yet small enough for one little old lady to tend alone. A trickle of smoke drifted up from the crumbling chimney of the farm house. "Come on, let's go."

They made their way towards the house, keeping a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary. As they passed the garden, Kara stopped and squatted down to examine something. A print in the tilled dirt. Her eyes widened as she looked. What ever animal had left that paw print was huge. She couldn't identify the print, yet something about it tugged at her memory. Shaking her head, she straightened and joined the others as they climbed the rickety step onto the porch.

"Land's sake! It's you!" the gray haired, haggard woman peered at them through the torn and ripped screen door. "You were with that angel girl."

"Yes. Mrs. Kent, we were." Kara's voice was husky with emotion. "I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but we need to ask you a few questions."

"Why of course." The little old lady held open the screen door with one hand as she motioned for them to enter. "Won't you please come in? I was about to make some dinner, perhaps you would like to share it with me?"

"No thank you, ma'am." Kara answered quickly before anyone else could say anything. She knew that these people survived, but only barely. Their food was strictly rationed in order to assure they continued to survive. They could, perhaps, have all moved to Metropolis and live under the iron hand of Lex Corps. They would probably have more food. But only at the cost of their freedom. She took a deep breath and plunged in. "Mrs. Kent, I am sorry to have to ask this, but we need to get some information about Kal El."

"Clark?" Martha Kent took a ragged breath and then fainted. Before she had even started to slump, Mon El moved. Cradling her gently, he moved into the house and laid her on a dirty couch. Then, without a glance to the others, he made his way through the rest of the house, pausing in an empty room, scanning the rubbish littered floor.

"Found it!" He exclaimed after a moment.

"Found what?" Kara demanded, frowning at his odd behavior.

"This was Clark's room." Mon explained. "I was a house guest of the Kent's before Kal had to put me in the Phantom Zone. During that time, Kal showed me a secret tunnel that led from his room, to an underground lab, and eventually to a hidden exit far from the house. That way he could come and go when ever he needed without anyone noticing that Superboy kept appearing and disappearing at the Kent house." He swept some of the debris away and then moved a thread bare rug to uncover a trap door. "I thought it likely that this Superboy had a similar setup."

"Oh my!" They all turned to see Martha Kent standing in the doorway, white as a ghost.

"Don't worry Ma…Mrs. Kent." Mon El smiled at her, cursing himself silently for his slip of the tongue. "We all know that Clark was Superboy."

"What!" Sherri whirled to stare first at Mon then at Mrs. Kent. She then whirled to Kara. "That is why Linda was so upset!" She put two and two together.

"Well, I should say Kara and I knew who Kal El was." Mon corrected glancing sourly at Sherri.

"You…" Martha's hand flew to her mouth. "You know his Kryptonian name!"

"Ma'am." Kara stepped forward, smiling though it only reached her lips. "My name is Kara. Kara Zor-El." She motioned towards Mon El. "This is Lar Gand, though he has recently adopted the name Kal El gave him long ago. He now goes by Mon El."

"Are you … all Kryptonians?" Her eyes were wide with fright as she looked from Mon to Kara and back again. "That angel girl too?"

"I and Rogue are." Kara confirmed, motioning towards Rogue.. "Mon is actually a Daxamite, though they are related to Kryptonians. Sherri and jenny are both Earth born."

"Despite appearances to the contrary." Jenny put in, smiling.

"And Supergirl is Earth born as well." Kara finished. She didn't bother to explain that only Sherri was from the only Earth Mrs. Kent would know. She took a deep breath. "I know it is hard to understand, Mrs. Kent. But Kal was, in a way, my cousin. We need to know what happened to him. We need to find out exactly what caused him to go bad."

Standing, as she was, behind the others, only Jenny noticed when Rogue stiffened. Her face tilted upwards and her eyes squinted slightly. She was using her x-ray vision.

"What's up?" She whispered into her ear, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"We've got company!" Rogue announced. She whirled towards the door, literally picking Martha Kent up and handing her to Mon. "Sherri, you and Mon stay here and take care of Mrs. Kent." That said, she flew through the house to and out the front door – Kara and Jenny on her heels.

_From the edge of the line of woods that surrounded the Kent farm on three sides, he watched. He saw the massive sky vehicle swoop down from the upper atmosphere, it's dark metallic surface rippling with the heat of it's passage. His hackles rose as it came to a hover above the Kent home. He tensed his muscles, preparing to spring into action as huge doors gaped open on the underside of the vessel, spewing forth dozens of brightly polished robots. He readied himself. If the automatic defense system the master had installed long ago did not activate, he would have to take action. He stood, bewildered, as three figures flew from the Kent home, soaring upward to meet the oncoming menace._

As the others sped to intercept the approaching threat, Mon pulled open the trap door. Hold tight to Ma Kent, he dropped down into the revealed tunnel, beckoning for Sherri to follow.

"How did you know?" Martha asked in a shaky voice as Mon zoomed down the tunnel and into a fair sized underground workshop. "You couldn't have seen it. Clark had it all lead lined!"

Mon shivered and once again thanked the gods of Daxam for Reed Richards and the cure he had developed that had made him immune to lead. Still, the thought of being surrounded by so much of the deadly stuff, to Daxamites at least, gave him chills.

"Oh my god!" Sherri had entered the workshop and now pressed back against a wall, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with barely suppressed terror. Mon turned to look at what had caused her fear, cursing himself for not remembering when he saw.

There, in the far wall, eight man sized niches had been carved into the wall. All but three were empty. It was the occupants of the three that had Sherri shaking in fear. Eyes closed, as if asleep, three figures of Superboy stood at attention.

"What the hell is this?" Kara demanded as she followed Rogue and Jenny upwards to meet the incoming robots. The ship they were spilling from was huge, it's shadow easily covering the Kent Home and part of the surrounding acreage.

"I've seen these guys before" Jenny answered. "They're Doombots. Courtesy of one Dr. Doom." Rogue halted her flight, looking at Jenny with disbelief.

"Dr. Doom?" She demanded. "Here?"

"Yeah. Scary, ain't it?" She gestured towards the robots. "Let's figure it out later, first let's take these guys out. You two concentrate on the Doombots. I'll take out the ship!"

"Right!" Kara and Rogue dove at the largest concentration of bots, smashing a path through the metallic monsters before they could react. Jenny, glowing with Lantern Energy, didn't bother with any elaborate energy constructions. Instead, she sent beams of destructive energy searing through the motherhship as she closed in, then, balling her fists, her arms stretched out in front of her, she followed the beams in. Her Lantern Energy, together with the strength of She-Hulk allowed her to smash her way through the hull of the vessel with no problem.

"Damn, I'm not even working up a sweat." Rogue cursed as she swung two bots together with enough force to send them both tumbling to the ground in thousands of pieces. She reached for another, grabbing it by it's outstretched arms and sent it spinning into another cluster. More shattered steel and circuits rained down on the long unplowed farmland below.

"Don't get cocky." Kara warned. She should have taken the warning herself. Rather than taking any protective measures, she dove straight at another clump of bots. She had nearly reached them when they all fired their weapons. For a brief instant, Kara was enveloped in a green light similar, in appearance at least, to Jenny's Energy glow. With a shriek, she plummeted to the earth, plowing into the woods to the south of the Kent home.

"Kara!" Rogue yelled. Though ever fiber of her being screamed at her to see about her friend, she forced herself to fight on. Doombots were still pouring from the bowels of the ship. She cursed as a majority veered straight towards her while a small portion dove towards the Kent home.

"Rogue!" Jenny called out, emerging from the top of the ship in a spray of hull metal. "Be careful. I think they are armed with Kryptonite beams!" She reversed her course, intent on her goal to take the ship apart, from the inside out if necessary!

"Just great." Rouge groused as she terminated yet another robot.

_He watched her tumble out of the sky, falling in his direction. He followed her trail, using the feel of her impact against the earth to pin point her location. He glanced back towards the uneven battle. The other two strangers could take care of things. Now he had to investigate the fallen one. He had to determine if these strangers were, like the robots, a threat. Turning away, he failed to see the group of Doombots descending on the Kent home!_

Kara groaned in pain as she opened her eyes. Already the effects of the Kryptonite beams were fading. Rao, it had been so long since she had felt the agony of Green K exposure. Despite the pain, she forced herself up on her elbows. She had to get back to the fight. She froze at the sound of a deep growl coming from the woods behind her.

"They're robots." Mon was explaining to Sherri. "Kal built them long ago. They were supposed to help him maintain his secret identity, and even act in his stead if the need arose." He walked closer to the de-activated figures. "Where I came from, Kal had to shut them down due to impurities in the atmosphere that caused them to malfunction."

"How do you know all this?" Martha Kent demanded. She had finally gone beyond being afraid. These people knew things about Clark that no one should know!

"I can't explain it well enough to make you understand, Mrs. Kent." Mon replied in his most respectful manner. "All I can tell you is that were I came from, Clark and I were friends. He saved my life. In that place, Clark never went bad. Instead he grew up to become the greatest hero that world had ever known." He smiled in remembrance. "I know you won't understand, but for a short time Kal and I thought we were related. Thus he gave me the Kryptonian name Mon El. I even adopted a secret identity for awhile. Bob Kent, a salesman relative from out of town." He opened his mouth, as if to continue. He shut it as the ground trembled. He glanced upward in alarm, his eyes squinting as he activated his x-ray vision.

"Sherri!" He yelled as he positioned himself in the tunnel leading back to the house. "Follow the tunnel. Get Ma out of here. Keep her safe."

"Perhaps we can help with that!"

Both Mon and Sherri whirled at the voice, Sherri shrinking back against Mon in sheer terror as three Superboys stepped forward out of the niches.

_She had a familiar smell. Not the same as the master, but similar. He felt a kinship towards the yellow haired one. Not one of family, but rather as if they were both from the same place and time. Yet, somehow, he knew that such was not the case. And even were it true, there would be no way she would know him now. Not since the change! He did not pretend to understand it. It was far from his ability to comprehend. Yet he knew that the Thing the master had found had wrought the change. It had bathed him in its hellish green light and he had changed._

Kara risked turning her head so that she could glance over her shoulder. What she saw made her forget caution and spin around in total shock! A Karag! A prehistoric Kryptonian Wolf! Pure white and standing as tall as the prehistoric Terran Dire Wolf. At the moment, it sat on it's haunches, watching her. Unlike the Terran wolves, the male Karags had sported a thick mane of hair on their neck and shoulders; much like a Terran lion. On Karags, however, the mane was pure white. Also like Terran lions, Karags had short, bristly fur on the remainder of their bodies and a small tuft of hair on the end of their prehensile tails. Kara looked into those blood red eyes and felt a shiver of fear run through her body. If it was a Karag, then, like any Kryptonian under a yellow sun, it had the same powers as she.

"Not all." The analytical part of her mind countered. Some required the more advanced mental capacities of higher life forms. So, while it could fly, was virtually invulnerable, and could wield strength even greater than her own, it could not possess the mental or optical facilities to use any of the vision powers. On the other hand, it's senses of hearing and smell would be far greater than hers, much like a cat or dogs hearing and sense of smell would be naturally better than that of a Terran human. Its reflexes would also be far sharper than her own.

She backed away slowly, keeping her eyes on the Karag, planning her next move. There was no way she could head back to the Kent home. Perhaps, if she lured it out in the open, she could enlist the aid of Rogue and Jenny to capture the animal, they could then transport it back to the FFHQ and use Reed's lab to expose it to yellow K. It would still be a dangerous animal, but it would no longer be super powered.

Something Sherri had said nagged at the edge of her mind. Something about animal life here in this probability. Ah! She had said the Artifact had caused some animals to regress on the evolutionary scale. That would explain the presence of an animal that had been extinct for millennia. The only Kryptonian animals related to the Karags still in existence were …She stopped, her jaw dropping as she looked at the wolf. Dogs! Kryptonian Canines were direct descendents of the Karags. That would mean that the animal before her…

"Krypto?" She whispered. The animal's ears perked. Moving slowly, she squatted down and held out a hand, palm up, making sure to keep it below the level of the animal's head.

Slowly, it's muscles still tensed, the Karag inched forward. It kept its eyes on her face as it stretched forward to sniff at the offered hand.

The sound of crashing timber caused Mon to turn back to the tunnel.

"Whatever they are, they're coming through!" He hissed. He pushed Sherri towards Ma Kent. "DO what I said! Get her out of here. Exit the tunnel and hide in the woods."

Edging forward, Sherri kept her eyes on the robot Superboys as she fumbled for Martha's hand.

"C-c-come on, Mrs. K-k-kent." She stuttered.

"No need to be afraid, Miss." One of the robots said, smiling with what Sherri assumed was the original Superboy's charm. "Units Five and Six will help your friend. I will get you and Ma to safety."

"D-d-don't you touch me…you…you monster." Sherri shied away from the robot's outstretched hand. The robot, adopting a confused look, turned to Martha.

"It's a long story, Three." Martha explained. "You have not been activated in a long time. Things have changed."

"Where is the master?" Five asked as he took a stance next to Mon.

"He's dead, Five." Martha stated it bluntly. All three robots looked at her, expressions of disbelief on their faces.

"Can we discuss it later?" Mon spoke out as the first Doombot entered the tunnel. Focusing his eyes, Mon sent twin beams of heat vision searing through the metallic body, vaporizing what he hoped was the thing's CPU. Soon he, Five and Six were wading through bits and pieces of Doombots as they punched and swung at the invaders pouring into the tunnel.

Three looked once at the carnage and then grasped both Martha and Sherri by the arms.

"Please do not struggle." He told Sherri as he drug them down the tunnel. "I am not going to harm you, but I need to get you to safety."

"They just keep coming!" Rogue swore as yet another wave exited the ship. There were less this time and a quick look showed that the ship itself was smoking and shooting forth flame from various places. Whatever Jenny was doing inside that monster was really tearing it up.

She raked a clump of bots with her heat vision and then turned to slam another clump to the ground with a blast of super breath. She then whirled, kicking out, her feet caving in one bot and sending it's convulsing carcass spinning into a group of its fellows.

She risked a quick look towards the woods Kara had fallen towards. Her attention diverted, she failed to notice the five bots that drew a bead on her and opened up with their Kryptonite beams.

A hideous shriek of pain brought Kara back to the problems at hand.

"Rogue!" She jumped upwards, angling up and back towards the ship and the Doombots. She could see Jenny just emerging from the badly listing ship. A green globe sprang from her fingers to envelope a group of bots. Kara watched as the globe shrank, crushing everything within. When the globe vanished, all that remained was a single, fused sphere of metal that plummeted to the ground. Her attention drawn down, Kara saw the green and yellow clad figure lying amid the wreckage of countless Doombots. "No!" As she started to arrow down, she felt a gust of wind brush past her. She watched, awed as the Karag closed with the Doombots, it's claws and fangs slashing, tearing through metal like a hot knife through soft butter.

Jenny saw Kara just as she started her descent towards the motionless Rogue. She started to join her when the streak of white shot up out of the woods beneath and behind Kara, past her and into the midst of the Doombots. She didn't know what it was, but as long as it was on their side…She turned her attention back to the ship and sent a final blast of energy through it's hull. That was all it took. With all the damage she had caused to the interior, the vessel could no longer maintain its position. It began to fall.

Calling on all her will, Jenny formed an energy field below the vessel, slowing it's descent until it settled gently to the ground, far from the spot where Kara now knelt, cradling Rogue's head in her lap. That accomplished, she spun back around…to find the battle over. The sky was clear of Doombots. The massive animal, its red eyes following her every move, simply hovered in place, a piece of circuitry from a mauled Doombot still hanging from it's fanged jaws.

Lowering herself gently, Jenny drifted downward until she touched the ground, mere feet from Kara. The animal followed, still watching her.

"Kara?" She moved to touch Kara on the shoulder, stopping when the animal growled, deep in its throat.

Kara ignored her for a moment as she brushed hair out of Rogue's face. She was breathing easier, a sign that the effects of the Kryptonite were fading.

"Rao I hurt." Rogue gasped. Though she still had her eyes closed, she reached up to grasp Kara's hand, grimacing from the discomfort even that action caused.

"It'll pass." Kara whispered, relieved. "Girlfriend. You have to learn to stay away from the Green K."

"So says the woman that let herself be knocked into the woods." Jenny piped in. Kara smiled up at her and then looked over at the Karag. Sighing, she gently lowered Rogue's head back to the ground.

"Rest for a few moments." She ordered as she stood. The karag watched her every movement. Then it slowly moved forward, sniffing at Rogue. Jenny started to move forward, stopping when Kara placed a hand on her arm. "He's not going to hurt her." She whispered. "He's just getting her scent."

"Her scent? Why? So he can hunt her later?"

"What are you two whispering about…Oh Great Rao!" Rogue had opened her eyes, looking straight up into the red eyes of the beast. "A Karag!"

"A what?" Jenny looked to Kara for an explanation.

"A Karag." Kara was looking at Rogue as she spoke. "A prehistoric Kryptonian Wolf. Rogue, how did you know what it was?"

"I…I" she turned her head to look at up at Kara, her face screwing up as the Karag's nose nuzzled her ear. "I didn't. You knew what it was. I just accessed those memories."

"Remember that she absorbed your memories when she absorbed your powers." Jenny explained. "Though I thought those had faded."

"So did I." Rogue agreed. "Though I have discovered that when something to do with Krypton comes up, I know what Kara knew at the time I absorbed her memories."

"Krypto. Here boy." Kara leaned forward as the animal raised its head and took a step toward her. She placed a hand on Jenny's shoulder. "Krypto, This is Jenny. A friend." Then to Jenny. "Put your hand out so he can sniff it."

"What? Are you nuts? That monster could take my hand off even if it weren't Kryptonian." Jenny started to back away. She stooped as the Karag took matters into its own paws. It moved faster than any animal its size had a right to as it crossed the short distance between them. Once in front of her, he reared up on his hind legs, placing his front legs over her shoulders. Even at seven feet tall, Jenny had to look up to see the eyes of the animal looking at her. She sputtered as a thick, wet tongue slid across her face.

"I think he likes you, Jen." Kara quipped.

"Ya." Jenny grimaced. "Most likely he's just trying to decide whether Gamma radiated meat is good to eat." Before either Kara or Rogue could reply, the sound of creaking, groaning lumber reached their ears. As Rogue got to her feet, the others swung their heads towards the Kent Home. Even as they watched, the small house seemed to collapse in on itself.

"Mon!" As fast as Kara and Rogue were, Jenny reacted first. She shot up and over the intervening distance to the rubble. Yet even so, she reached it after the karag did. Snuffling, growling fiercely, the animal dug in, sending chunks of torn lumber flying. With her hearing, Kara could hear the muffled sound of battle far below.

"They're in the tunnel!" She exclaimed.

"I can't see anything!" Rogue spat as she dove in.

"Lead lined." Kara reminded her. She stopped and looked around, estimating approximately where Clark's room had been. "Everyone back!" She ordered. Suprisingly, even the karag obeyed. She took in a deep breath and then let it out as a gigantic green shovel appeared, scraping the entire mound of rubble away from the foundation. The shovel then reformed, becoming a small twister that proceeded to suck up the remaining rubble that filled the basement.

"Don't worry about that, Jen!" Kara called as she moved to a hole in the ground "The basement did not run under the entire house. She dove into the tunnel, wanting to make sure she got in first. She did not want the Karag to get there first and possible harm Mon or Sherri.

By the time she reached the underground chamber she had to push her way through a virtual wall of wrecked Doombots. The chamber was a total wreck. Despite the urgency of the moment, Kara had a sinking feeling that any information she could have discovered about the Artifact in the chamber had probably been destroyed in the battle.

Still following the trail of demolished bots, she entered the second tunnel. So intent was she on clawing her way through, she almost failed to notice that the Doombots in front of her were still active when she came upon them. Only when several turned, raising their weapons, did she realize her danger.

"Oh no you don't." She hissed. Reaching above her head, she dug her fingers into the tunnel ceiling and yanked down. An entire strip of lead peeled from the tunnel wall. Holding the strip before her, she continued her advance. The Bots fired, their kryptonite beams striking the makeshift lead shield instead of their intended target.

Kara did not even slow down. She simply bowled the bots over. Any that did not get trashed as she waded through them were met by the snapping, crushing jaws of the karag.

Kara tossed the shield aside and reached for another Doombot…and froze.

"Kal?" Her eyes rolled up as she slumped to the ground.

Five looked down at her as he finished off the final Doombot and then looked to Mon.

"Interesting indeed!" Lex Luthor leaned back in his seat as the last of the veiwscreens when dead. "To think, that Superfreak was actually Clark Kent all the time." He turned to Dr. Doom, picking up a small apparatus he had laid on the table. "You say this device can detect Broach signals and triangulate on their locations at any time?"

"You just saw a small demonstration." Doom replied, gesturing towards the bank of screens, all blank now. He sat back, contemplating his host. "Though I must admit that I was a bit surprised at the ease with which my Doombots were defeated."

"You wouldn't be surprised if you had ever gone up against Superman." Lex spat.

"Considering what happened with him, I am surprised that you and he did not join forces."

"That would have been the day." He raised a hand and Doom was mildly surprised that it glowed with a slight green hue. "You don't know how hard it was to steal the Artifact from that damned do-gooder." He smiled a deadly smile. "Though once I had it and learned to use it, it was child's play to use it to change him."

Doom said nothing, waiting for his host to explain.

"Oh, Superman knew exactly what the Artifact was. He knew what it was capable of. He knew that, eventually, it would begin to affect his mind." Lex gloated. "He had planned to destroy it or, failing that, toss it into the sun."

"Yet you obtained it and used it against him."

"You got it." Lex stood, his fists clenched as he walked to the windows of his new office. "As far as the World is concerned, Superman went bad. I made sure that even his symbol became a thing to be feared and hated. Yet behind it all, was me. Finally, I was able to defeat him." He turned back. "And in so doing, almost defeated myself, admittedly. An evil Superman was a hell of a lot harder to handle than the good one. The arrival of that monster, Doomsday, was a godsend." He shook himself, smiling.

"Doctor Doom, I thank you." He said. "And I think we are going to work splendidly together. Splendidly!"

End of _**A World Without Heroes**__** - Chapter Six**_.

_**Click here to go to Chapter 7**_


	7. Chapter 7  by Jason Froikin

_Seek and You Shall Find_

A World Without Heroes

Chapter 7

An Otherverse/SGPI Crossover

By Jason Froikin

_And I cry and no one can hear_

_Inhale the blinded eyes that see_

_The chaos bring the pitiful to me_

_Even though I'm wide awake_

_I will in blackest night_

_And I wait for you_

_It's cold in here, there's no one left_

_And I wait for you_

_And nothing stops it happening_

_And I knew I'd cherish all my misery alone_

_- Courtney Love (Northern Star)_

"Run for it!"

Kara couldn't believe what she was seeing - they were something out of Star Wars, and they were indestructible, even by herself and Rogue. Gigantic two-legged, two-armed metal war machines were baring down on her team, and even her best efforts to stop them were useless. She had a huge head start on Rogue, Mon, and Jen, since she was the furthest from the battle scene when she started flying away from those metal monsters.

"Reed! Reed, get us outta here!", Jen yelled into her headset as she floated above the battlefield, "Can you hear me Reed?"

Kara had to turn away as she watched the giant metal foot of one of the machines stomp on Rogue, crushing her into the hard, dry ground of the torn and burned forest. Another machine snatched Mon as he leaped out of the way of the first one, and slammed him into the ground, wedging him a good six feet under the surface.

"Dammit, Reed! Help us, please!", Jen yelled, on the verge of tears as she watched her team quickly being destroyed by these metal monsters.

Kara just floated in the air a quarter mile away, staring, stunned at what was happening around her. She and Rogue should be able to tear this miserable planet apart, and yet both of them together couldn't defeat a couple of hunks of steel.

Anger filled Kara as she watched the battle before her, as she watched these...metal creations destroying everything around her. Anger at whoever created those metal monsters. Anger at herself, for being unable to save her friends. Unable...or perhaps unwilling.

"There's never anything good on television", Charlie mumbled as he flipped through the stations from Linda's couch. Supergirl was out on some mission or another. Since it was raining, he couldn't go with her - so he decided to hang around her apartment to ask her about it when she returned.

"The Cartoon Network is always good", a soft voice said from behind him.

Charlie wheeled around quickly at those words, expecting to see Supergirl behind him. It wasn't Supergirl - it was another woman. And a man was with her. It took Charlie a few seconds to recognize the woman, but the man's identity was a mystery to him.

"Sue Richards", the woman said, before Charlie had a chance to open his mouth, "And this is Access."

"Wh-What do you want?" Charlie jumped up off of the couch, still a little disoriented at having been torn away from the television so suddenly.

"We're looking for Linda", Sue said, "We need help."

Charlie glanced over at the patio door as he felt a burst of wind enter the apartment. He hung around Linda's apartment often enough to know what that meant.

"What kind of help?" Supergirl stepped into the apartment, carrying the scent of the spring rain with her. She was dripping water all over the carpet.

"Kara's missing", Sue said, as Charlie handed Supergirl a towel, "She vanished after a battle on the Otherverse Earth."

Supergirl looked out from behind the towel as she attempted to dry her hair. "I'm...not so sure I want to go back there."

"But her life may be in danger."

"Kara? In danger?", Supergirl said with an amused smile, "I don't buy it. There has to be something else to this story."

"There is." Sue stepped closer to Supergirl. "She also knocked Rogue and Lar...I mean Mon...unconscious, to prevent them from bringing her to the Fantastic Four headquarters. They're both in pretty bad shape."

Supergirl's smile disappeared. "Wh-What? She actually attacked her friends?"

Sue looked deep into Supergirl's eyes. "She needs help, Supergirl. Only you have the power to give her that help."

Supergirl shook her head. "I can't be the only one-"

"Please, Supergirl", Sue pleaded, "You're her last hope. She really listens to you."

Supergirl stared back into Sue's steady gaze. She could sense that Sue was much more upset then she let on. She could also sense that Sue hadn't told her the entire story. Supergirl then became puzzled as she watched Sue suddenly gasp in surprise.

"What?"

"You...You touched my mind!", Sue exclaimed.

"I did?", Supergirl said as surprise took over her expression as well, "I've always been able to get 'reads' off of people, but I didn't know-"

Sue laughed. "Don't worry, Supergirl. You'd be surprised how many unpracticed psychics I meet."

"Psychic?", Supergirl asked as she and Charlie walked toward Access, "Huh. I never would have guessed."

"No! Leave me alone!"

A battle raged around Kara, Rogue, and Jen. Explosions were going off all around them, lasers and bullets were grazing each team member every second. Where they were standing, they would have been obliterated long ago if they were normal human beings - and even as super-heroes, the battle was taking it's toll on them.

"Kara." Rogue coughed and a little blood trickled out of her lips, down her chin. "We have to go home. Now!"

"I nearly got everyone killed", Kara yelled as she turned and started walking away, "I cannot return with you. I must stay here."

"You're not making sense!", Mon yelled at Kara.

"Damn it to hell, Kara!", Jen yelled, "If we don't get out of here now, we'll all die! Look, Rogue's bleeding, Mon has some internal injuries, and I'm so short on sleep my hallucinations are taking form thanks to my Green Lantern power!"

"Then go!", Kara yelled back as she angrily lifted Rogue off of the ground and tossed her at the rest of the group, "Go now and leave me!"

When Rogue landed, she didn't get up right away - she'd been knocked unconscious after being thrown by Kara. Jen looked down to see life quickly slipping away from Rogue's body, and consciousness slipping away from Mon. Jen looked up at Kara, as tears started to stream down her face. "I thought I knew you, Kara! I thought you cared!"

"What happened to your shunt ability?", Reed asked as Supergirl, Access, Charlie, and Sue materialized in his lab, "And what's Charlie doing here?"

"He's here to keep an eye on you, Reed", Supergirl joked, "And the last time I shunted into your lab with the flaming wings, you nearly doused me with a fire extinguisher."

Sue laughed, but the scowl on Reed's face proved that he was less then amused. Even more so when he stormed out of the lab.

Supergirl took a quick look around the lab, and immediately noticed Rogue and Lar - for some reason his chart listed him as 'Mon' - lying on some kind of automated hospital beds. One glance at the monitors, and a lot of experience visiting hospitals back home, told her that they were in very bad shape.

"What happened to them?"

"They were caught in a battle", Sue explained, "They were seriously hurt. And Kara's attacking them to avoid coming back here didn't help them one bit."

Supergirl glanced over her shoulder at Reed, who was working at one of his terminals. "I don't think Reed likes me."

Sue smiled. "He likes you just fine. You just infuriate him, because you're not at all like the serious people he usually works with. You're not predictable, and that perplexes him."

Supergirl laughed. "And I suppose you're predictable?"

Sue smiled. "No, actually his first reaction to me was pretty much the same. But he warmed up once we got used to each other."

"When you're a part of a larger group rather then a loner like yourself", Access chimed in, "You tend to give up a little of your individuality."

Supergirl winced at the thought of giving up her individuality. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Cooperation", Access explained, "If we didn't each keep an air of professionalism about us, our personalities would conflict. We'd be fighting instead of working together."

Supergirl shook her head. "I dunno about that. I think cooperation can be found through understanding instead of-"

"Are we going to talk, or find Kara?" Jen burst through the door suddenly. Supergirl could tell that she had changed. Instead of the happy, warm person who greeted her during her last visit, Jen had become a cold, take charge type. She was all business.

"What about our guide, Sherri?", Supergirl asked.

"She's already in Otherverse." Jen turned toward the Projector, expecting Supergirl to follow her.

"You left her there?"

"She'll be fine", Jen said firmly, "It's us and Kara I'm worried about."

As the Projector began humming softly, Supergirl decided that she had to find Kara, for no other reason then to take her out of that hellish version of Earth. If it caused Jen's personality to change so drastically, there's no telling what it had done to Kara.

Jen had 'projected' Supergirl and herself to the top of a hill overlooking what was obviously a battlefield on the Otherverse Earth. It was loud - so loud that Supergirl quickly covered her ears to shield herself from the noise. She took a quick look around, and immediately noticed several large, two-legged, armored, robotic monsters - they looked they were something right out of Star Wars. And worse yet, they each had a large Lexcorp logo on them. Supergirl looked down to notice Sherri lying on her stomach, looking through binoculars.

"Can you do something with those?", Jen asked, "They even went to the effort to paint the damned things with some kind of coating. Anything I create to stop them just slides right off."

"Let's see if I can", Supergirl said as she floated off of the ground, "And please watch your language."

Sherri laughed as Supergirl flew out over the battlefield. Jen turned and scowled at her.

Once airborne, Supergirl quickly figured out what the metal monsters' biggest weakness was - they each had a hatch in the top, for the pilot to enter. All she had to do was swoop down on each one, and pull out the pilot. No more monsters.

Supergirl dropped down on top of one of the machines, and quickly discovered that it was protected by high voltage. The electricity hurt, but not enough to stop her. She reached down and tore open the hatch - and quickly realized that the machine was being piloted by a robot, not a human being! She smiled as she realized she no longer had to look out for people's lives while stopping these monsters - they were mechanical, all the way through.

She floated up above the battlefield slowly, and closed her eyes to concentrate. She pictured the large, metal monsters in her mind, and the little robot inside. Her imagination began to draw a small bubble inside each one of the metal monsters - unstable bubbles of immense power. As she opened her eyes, the sound of an explosion and tearing metal filled the countryside. In an instant, all of the robots and their monsters were reduced to a large pile of scrap metal.

"Will that work?", Supergirl asked smugly.

"Wow", Jen whispered, "I knew telekinetic power was...But I never thought-"

"She could probably level a whole city block", Sherri said, "We could put a stop to Luthor's-"

"We're not here for that", Supergirl lectured, "We're here to rescue Kara."

"But if you can free Metropolis-" Sherri's voice trailed off when her eyes were met with an angry glance from Supergirl.

Supergirl immediately felt guilty for scaring Sherri. "Listen, Sherri. I know this is your home, and you'd love for me to save it. I told you, I can't-"

Sherri looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Supergirl. I never should have asked. It's just that...I'm afraid for my world. I mean, what will happen to it once the Shard is found? Will it change? Will it vanish into oblivion?"

Supergirl looked at Sherri, and then at Jen, hoping Jen would have the answer. Jen looked away. "I...I don't know, Sherri. But I've been told that as long as the Shard is here, all of our realities are in danger."

Sherri took a step backwards, away from Supergirl. "You're going to destroy my world to save your own."

"No, that's not true." Supergirl reached out toward Sherri's hand.

Sherri pulled her hand out of Supergirl's reach. "You all lied to me!"

"Tell me the truth, Sherri", Jen interrupted, "Do you really like this world all that much?"

"How dare you!", Sherri yelled, "This is my home! It's not some...sacrificial lamb-"

"Sherri, calm down." Supergirl grabbed Sherri's shoulder. She stepped in front of Sherri, and looked steadily into her eyes. "I promise you, I will do my best to keep your world safe."

"Bloody waste of effort if you ask me", Jen volunteered.

"Jen, I asked you to watch your language", Supergirl lectured, "And what's the matter with you, anyway? You've been short with everyone...The last time I met you, you were such a nice person."

"Things change", Jen said, "People change. I've seen things that you've probably never even had nightmares about."

Supergirl smiled, and folded her arms. "Did you ever have a nightmare that literally tossed you out a window?"

"Well...No."

Supergirl began to quietly wonder what was triggering Jen's horrible attitude. She could be battle-weary, but that wouldn't cause a drastic change in personality. That's when she remembered that the Green Lantern of her reality would often use his ring to gather data. When she asked Bruce Wayne about it one day, he told her that it's power caused it to be useful as a high-gain antenna.

"Hand over the ring, Jen", Supergirl said, as she held her hand out in front of her.

"Why?"

"Because the ring is also an antenna", Supergirl explained, "You're acting strange because you're absorbing the energy being transmitted by the Shard."

Jen sighed as she removed the ring and handed it to Supergirl. "Please don't lose it. I can't get another one."

"Hey, wait a minute", Sherri interrupted, "Is it possible that humans could be reacting to the same energy?"

"It's possible", Supergirl said as she began to ponder Sherri's theory, "Maybe that's why this world has so much anger, so much hate. I can feel it all around me, like it's a fog hanging over us all. Maybe that's why Kara is going insane. Her protective nature is conflicting with the anger she's feeling - and she doesn't understand what's happening to her."

"So we're angry because of where we are?"

"It's not quite that simple", Supergirl said, "But I get the impression that if we stay here long enough, we'll all get Shard poisoning and go insane."

Luck...Instincts, Supergirl thought to herself, are the only things you can depend on when all else seems hopeless. Supergirl's luck took a turn for the better as she cruised the skies over Metropolis, hoping to find Kara by accident. Kara could have been anywhere at all - but for some reason, Supergirl believed she was in Metropolis. Her instincts paid off, as she soon spotted Kara sharing the skies with her.

She looked down at the roof of a familiar hotel, where Jen was waiting with Sherri. She gave them both a thumbs-up, and saw the same returned by Jen. Supergirl then turned, and headed right for Kara.

"Kara!", Supergirl called out when she was close enough to intercept her.

"Leave me alone!"

"Kara, it's me. Linda."

Kara stopped. Her expression changed quickly to sadness, and she bit her lip to keep her emotions in check as Supergirl approached her. Supergirl hugged Kara tightly in midair.

"Linda", Kara whispered as tears began streaming down her face, "You shouldn't have come here. You should have left me."

"Left you?", Linda asked, "Why?"

"I don't deserve to live."

Supergirl let go of Kara and looked deep into her blue eyes. "Of course you deserve to live. I don't want to hear you say otherwise."

"But-"

"Kara", Supergirl lectured, "Look within yourself. You're self-pitying."

Kara closed her eyes and hugged Supergirl again. "I...I can't. I just feel too...sad. I killed...And then when my friends needed me, I...I just froze."

Supergirl held Kara by her shoulders, to look at her face to face. "You may be Kryptonian, Kara, but your heart is human. You're going to make mistakes. You've got to survive those mistakes by doing better the next time."

Tears started streaming from Kara's eyes again as she looked down at the ground sadly.

"Kara, look deep within yourself", Supergirl said, "You don't have to be sad. Something is affecting you-"

Kara's eyes met Supergirl's again as her expression changed to surprise. "The...Shard?"

Supergirl nodded. "Yes. I have to take you home to rest, and get you some help."

"Will...Will you come with me?"

"Sure", Supergirl said with a smile, "I have to make sure you're okay."

Supergirl dropped down to the roof of the hotel, holding Kara's hand, as he fiery wings sprang to life. She was going to get them all back to the Fantastic Four Headquarters as quickly as possible.

"Okay guys, let's-", Supergirl started to say. She paused and turned her head - she thought she heard a voice behind her.

"What is it?", Jen asked. She read Supergirl's body language, and could tell she heard something. "You have super-hearing too?"

"No", Supergirl whispered as she strained to hear the man's voice once again.

"Angel?", the voice whispered, "Please take me home...home to Rao."

"Who are you?", Supergirl asked out loud.

Jen and Kara looked at each other - they didn't expect to see Supergirl talking to herself and were worried that she had become affected by Otherverse in ways they couldn't even fathom.

"It's Kal-El", the voice whispered to Supergirl.

Supergirl turned pale with shock as she looked right at Kara. She could tell that even Kara, with super-hearing, inexplicably couldn't hear what she was hearing.

"I have information to pass along to you", the voice whispered, "Do not be afraid."

Supergirl's eyes grew wide as a jumble of images and feelings that were not her own filled her mind. Horrible images. Horrible feelings. Tears began to fill her eyes as her mind began putting together the pictures.

She collapsed to her hands and knees on the ground as her tears dripped to the ground. "Oh my God...Kal...I understand now."

Kara and Jen looked at each other again. They didn't have a clue what was going on. Finally, Kara decided to ask.

"Linda? Are you...okay?"

Supergirl shook her head 'yes' as she stood up quickly and a flaming tunnel appeared ahead of her. "I'll explain later", she said as she wiped the remaining tears from her face, "For now, Kara, let's get you home safe."

"Jen, call a meeting", Supergirl ordered, as soon as she appeared in Reed's lab with Kara, Jen, and Sherri."

"Now hold on just a minute!", Reed fumed, "I'm in charge here! If anyone calls a meeting, it'll be me!"

Supergirl fixed an angry gaze on Reed. Flames were licking the edges of her eyeballs. "Then you call a meeting. I don't care who calls it, there's going to be a meeting!"

Reed sighed, and frowned at Charlie when he heard him laughing. "Okay, fine."

"Did someone say something about a meeting?" Rogue walked into the lab with Sue close behind.

Kara laughed. "It looks like we won't have to call one. Everyone's here."

"Except Dr. Strange", Sue added.

"No, he's here", Supergirl mumbled.

Everyone in the room turned and looked at Supergirl, expecting an explanation for her last statement.

Supergirl looked around and noticed everyone staring at her.

"What? He just told me he's here. He's right behind me, in some other plane of existence."

Sue smiled and shook her head. "That sounds like Strange, all right."

"So why was this meeting called?", Rogue asked.

"To discuss the Otherverse Kal-El", Supergirl answered quickly as she stood up to focus the meeting's attention on herself.

Kara and Rogue looked at each other. "Isn't he dead?", Rogue asked.

"Yes, he is", Supergirl asked, "But somehow his soul is wandering Otherverse Earth. He has some unfinished business."

"Oh, please", Reed interrupted.

"No...No, she's right", Kara said as she looked down at the table, "I...felt his presence once."

Everyone at the meeting turned and looked at Kara. Reed frowned. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

Kara sighed. "I...I wasn't sure if it was real."

"What does Kal want?", Jen asked.

Supergirl sat down at the table, clasped her hands, and bowed her head, as if what she was about to say hurt her deeply. "He told me...no, showed me...that Lex Luthor is responsible for what happened to him. For his state of mind, for his death...and for the death of Pa Kent."

As Supergirl looked up slowly, nobody at the table even breathed for several seconds. It seemed more like a month.

"Lex Luthor killed Superman?" Sherri started breathing quickly as she stood up and started pacing around the table. She had to sit down again when she began hyperventilating.

"Are you okay, Sherri?", Reed asked.

"No...No, I'm not!", she fumed, "Lex Luthor is a hero on my world. He stopped a rampaging Superman...a Superman who was going to destroy the world. Why should we trust Superman now?"

Supergirl jumped to her feet as her face became twisted by anger and hurt. "Because he loves us. He loves his planet, and his only wish is to save it from it's imminent destruction."

Tears began streaming from Supergirl's eyes again. She bowed her head in an attempt to stop the others from seeing. "He...He believes he's wandering the Earth as a spirit because he's been punished by Rao for failing."

Kara stared at Supergirl for a few seconds - she could tell Supergirl was a mess, emotionally. Kara turned an angry gaze toward Sherri. "I hope you're happy."

Sherri looked down at the table, to avoid Kara's eyes.

Supergirl glanced at Sherri, and then met eyes with Kara. "He sees what the world around him has become...and he can do nothing to help. Kara, he's in his own personal hell."

Without another word, Kara reached across the meeting table and hugged Supergirl. "In the name of Kal-El", Kara whispered, "I will succeed."

Supergirl didn't even wait for the projector to warm up this time - she made her own way to otherverse, by using her own shunting ability. She knew that Rogue and Kara followed her through - but she didn't care. They would have very little to do.

As Supergirl spotted the LexCorp tower, her cape burst into flames, and became wings of fire which streaked across the sky. Her eyes caught fire as well as she headed right toward the large glass window of Luthor's office like a bullet. Luthor was going to pay for what he'd done.

"Luthor!", Supergirl screamed as she crashed through Lex Luthor's office window, surrounded by a ball of flame. By the time she grabbed Luthor right of out his chair and pinned him to the wall by his throat, the entire office was engulfed in flames from her wings.

Supergirl watched the fear in Luthor's eyes as a someone vastly more powerful then he threatened to either crush or burn him to death. And worse yet, the kryptonite he had stored in his jacket just in case Kara or Rogue came for him was doing nothing to stop Supergirl.

"You deserve to die, Luthor!", Supergirl threatened through clenched teeth, "You are solely responsible for this...hell!"

"Excuse me, flaming angel", a voice from the other end of the room echoed, "You may wish to give your friends some attention."

The flames and wings vanished as Supergirl turned her head quickly to see a man in heavy armor - a man she didn't recognize at all - holding a glowing green rock in front of Kara and Rogue. They two of them looked very sick.

"I've synthesized Kryptonite which gives off ten times the radiation of the natural kind", the man said, "They'll be dead in a matter of-"

The man was interrupted suddenly as a stream of fire from Supergirl's eyes surrounded him, reducing the Kryptonite rock to a burned pile of dust on the floor.

Supergirl smiled at him. "You were saying?"

By the time the man reached for a weapon on his belt, Supergirl was already inches in front of him, holding him off of the ground by his throat. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Doom", he answered quickly. His gaze never wavered from hers - if he felt intimidated, he didn't want to show it.

Supergirl looked Dr. Doom over quickly. She noted that he had both rocket packs and heavy armor. They both would make it a lot easier to get him to leave.

"Good bye, Dr. Doom", Supergirl grabbed him by his armor with both hands and hurled him out of the window like a large rock. She watched for a few seconds as he sailed over the city for miles.

Supergirl turned and looked at Rogue and Kara. She noticed the horrified expression on Rogue's face. "What's the matter, Rogue?"

"It's just that...um...nobody has ever done that to Dr. Doom."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." Supergirl walked over to Luthor, who had reached his intercom only to discover that it was broken and useless.

"If you're going to kill me", Luthor said defiantly, "Then make it quick."

Supergirl stood and stared into his eyes for a few seconds. "Do you have the Shard, Luthor?"

"Yes", Luthor answered, "But you will never find it."

Supergirl frowned as she grabbed Luthor's shirt and hung him out of the broken window - hundreds of stories above the street. "Where is it?"

"I once fought Superman. You're no more powerful then he is", Luthor said calmly, "I'm not afraid to die anymore. Are you?"

Supergirl looked at Kara and Rogue - they both looked frightened, like they weren't sure what Supergirl would do to Luthor. Supergirl knew a bluff when she heard one. Luthor was bluffing, because he was scared out of his mind.

"You're not worth it", Supergirl said as she tossed Luthor over to the couch in his office. She turned to Kara and Rogue. "Let's go."

Kara stepped forward and grabbed Supergirl's arm. "What about the Shard?"

As soon as Kara touched her arm, Supergirl's flaming wings spring to life once again. Only something was different - they flames were pulling forward, wrapping around Kara, and spreading into the room like a fireplace had gone out of control.

Kara and Supergirl turned as they watched the specks of flame take a faint, transparent form - it was Kal-El.

"Oh, my God", Supergirl whispered.

"The Shard", the glowing form of Kal-El whispered, "You must destroy it, Kara. You must do what I cannot. You must save these people."

Tears streamed down Kara's face. "We can't find it Kal. Lex Luthor has hidden it." She hung her head and turned away from the image of Kal-El. "I...I failed you."

"No!" Kal-El's voice was clearer now, more powerful. "You did not fail. You will not fail. You will succeed Kara. I have faith in you."

With that, Kal's voice faded into the darkness as Supergirl's wings quickly turned back into a cape. Supergirl had just enough time to grab ahold of Kara before she crumpled into a sobbing heap on the carpeted floor of Lex Luthor's office. Supergirl couldn't help but cry herself - she could feel Kara's sense of loss. Kara would now remember losing Kal twice.

Supergirl kneeled down and lifted Kara's chin so her eyes met Kara's. "Kal's right, Kara. You will succeed."

"Supergirl", Rogue interrupted, "Luthor's gone."

"Gone?" Supergirl looked around the office. "No, he's gotta be around somewhere. His office is full of secret-"

Rogue looked at Supergirl. "No...No, he vanished before my eyes."

Supergirl turned suddenly as something caught her eye. Something small, hidden away in the corner of the office. She aimed at telekinetic blast at the object, shattering it into a dozen pieces - as soon as she did, the furniture in the room disappeared.

"Holograms", Supergirl fumed as she clenched her fists in anger, "Luthor was never here. He's playing games with us again!"

Supergirl wanted to go home - but Kara's stubbornness prevented it. Kara decided that they had to find out where Luthor went, so they could find the Shard. Kara was driven now, since she learned the truth about Kal.

"But we have no clues", Supergirl said as she, Kara, and Rogue flew high above Metropolis.

"I have instincts", Kara said, "I just know he's somewhere nearby."

Supergirl grabbed Kara's arm to stop her. "Kara, he could be anywhere in the world. He's rich, he doesn't have to be in Metropolis."

Kara froze and stared at Supergirl for a second. "You know where his hideouts are, don't you?"

"On my Earth, yes. But here-" Supergirl shook her head slowly. "I wouldn't know where to begin."

Supergirl just floated in the air for a second as she thought about it for a second. "Superman's fortress."

"What...?" Kara stared at Supergirl for a second. "Of course! Kal's dead, no one's using the place!"

Supergirl smiled. "And it's the most secure place on Earth. What better place for someone like Luthor to hide."

Kara took off toward the skies, with Rogue close behind. Supergirl had to concentrate to keep up with the two of them - they were both powered by both a yellow sun and adrenaline, and were moving much faster then usual. Supergirl was amazed at the speed with which they reached their frozen destination. She'd never flown that fast on her own. She smiled to herself - it was nice to know she was that fast when she really needed to be.

As Supergirl was lost in her own thoughts, she watched Kara fly toward the large structure, intent on crashing her way through - only she promptly bounced right off and landed in the snow. Supergirl thought of asking Kara if she needed help, but quickly decided not to - she knew Kara was very independent, and she didn't want to anger her. Instead, she decided to point something else out that she noticed.

"Kara, take a look. The lock's been tampered with." Supergirl walked up to the entrance door, gripped the foreign metal and pulled as hard as she could. It didn't budge.

"Can't you just zap us inside?", Rogue asked.

"Shunt", Supergirl corrected as she peeked through a small window portal, "It's called a shunt. And yes, now that I can see inside, I can."

Kara stared at the door for a second. "Let's do it."

Supergirl put her hands on Kara's shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do this, Kara? I mean, this place is going to bring back all kinds of memories-"

Rogue suddenly looked worried. "She's right. What if you go...Well, lose you mind-"

"Go crazy again?", Kara interrupted, "No. Not this time. I have to remain strong for Kal."

Supergirl looked over at Rogue sadly as her cape lit ablaze, and began forming a tunnel of flame. She hoped Rogue wouldn't be right. And yet somehow she knew Rogue would be.

"Oh, mighty Rao", Kara whispered as soon as the trio appeared inside Superman's Fortress, "What in hell has Luthor done to this place?"

Supergirl smiled as she looked around. It looked like a comfortable hotel room, rather then the cold steel, ice, and crystal she remembered back from her Earth. Unfortunately, Luthor was no longer around to discuss it with. "I dunno. I think it's kind of comfy."

"Comfy?", Kara growled, "This place is trashed! The computer's shut down, the animals are all gone-"

Supergirl laughed. "I take it you like utilitarian surroundings, like Clark?"

Kara turned an angry gaze at Supergirl for a second.

"I'm sorry, Kara, really", Supergirl said with a shrug, "I'm an artist, form appeals to me more then simple function."

Kara's gaze turned angrier, more determined. "Get out."

Rogue and Supergirl looked at each other for a second.

"Get out! Both of you!"

Supergirl thought about arguing, but something told her Kara was dead serious. She had just enough time to grab Rogue and shunt outside to the snow before the entire fortress collapsed into a pile of debris before her eyes.

"My...God." Supergirl stepped forward, intent on digging through the rubble to see if Kara was okay. She didn't have to - a second later, Kara was walking toward them, brushing dust and snow off of herself.

Kara smiled. "Luthor's running out of hiding places now."

Supergirl couldn't help but smile as she eyed the smoking pile of debris one more time. A memory came flooding back to her, one of a more innocent time in her life. A time when, on her Earth, she destroyed Lex Luthor's hideouts in anger herself.

Rogue looked at Kara and Supergirl, who both seemed rather proud of themselves over the destruction of the Fortress. "Uh, guys...I think it's time we went home."

"I suppose you're right", Supergirl said as flame quickly surrounded them, "We've done enough damage for one day."

End of _**A World Without Heroes**__** - Chapter Seven.**_

_**Click here to go to Chapter 8**_

Story written and copyrighted © 2000 by Jason Froikin,

and may not be reprinted without permission.

Supergirl and some other characters are property of D.C. Comics

Certain characters are property of Marvel Comics


	8. Chapter 8

_**A World**_

_**Without Heroes**_

In a world without heroes

There's nothing to be

It's no place for me

-_Music From the Elder_

_KISS_

Chapter 8

**Sanctum Sanctorum**

Hovering three feet above the floor, Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, sat cross-legged, his hands lying in his lap. Palms up, fingers interlaced. He sat erect, his head straight, facing outward, his eyes closed. Almost, it seemed he slept. In truth, he was not really there.

Oh, his physical body was present, yet his spirit wandered, following an elusive trail through space and time in that ethereal place called the astral plane.

In the center of a circled five-point star before the entranced sorcerer, a small brazier released tiny amounts of smoke. Beside the brazier, a small vial of blood rested. From this, Strange had sprinkled a tiny amount on the hot coals. Though, like most pagans, Strange abhorred the practice of using blood in ritual, this was a special case. The blood in the vial was a sample removed from the clone body that Kara now inhabited. It was, to Strange's thought, a way of establishing a link between Kara and what he now sought. Blood, he knew, would call to blood.

In the physical realm, the blood had only caused smoke to arise when sprinkled on the coals nestled in the brazier. Yet in the astral realm, a thin trail had sprang into being; twisting and turning as it snaked its way to the manifestation of the image Strange held firmly within his mind.

Though he had no idea of what the physical appearance would be, the astral visage of the place he now approached was dark and threatening.

He slowed his approach, taking stock of the situation. In the astral plane, the appearance was that of a dark castle, long abandoned by any that held a trace of the light within them. Evil, in the form of hunger and greed, swept over him. In the physical realm, his body pitched forward, retching.

Steeling himself, he continued on, following the trail that led straight into the heart of the darkness. As he neared, the trail widened and, for a brief instant, he was awarded a glimpse of a blond haired teen, her eyes tightly closed as if she were in the midst of a troubled, tortured sleep from which she could not awaken. The image blurred and started to split, forming two even as warning bells went off in Strange's mind. He jerked himself back even as the jaws of some unknown trap closed. Had he remained, he would now be caught. With gentle touches, he explored the trap. An astral cage! Meant to grasp and hold any astral invader. A ward set up as a precaution, not a conscious effort to trap him in particular, but something meant to snare any intruder.

He backed away; there was no need to press further. He knew where and when, now. The rest would have to be handled in the physical realm. Yet now, who ever had placed that ward, would know that some one had been snooping. He, she, or they…even as he thought, the image of a man formed in his mind. Not a physical presence, merely a notion of the creator of the ward. Strange nodded. He turned and started the journey back to his body, making sure to cover his trail so that this person could not trace him. He would need preparation before dealing with this one. And he would need help. Though he knew nothing of the man's demeanor or history, he knew power when he saw it. This man had power. Power to equal his own, unless he missed his guess.

Even as he returned to the physical realm, Strange mulled over the name that had came to him with the vision – Mordru!

"You've found her?"

The question was tossed at Strange the instant he left his Sanctum Sanctorum at his home and stepped into the conference room at the FF HQ.

At the moment, only Charles Xavier was present. Had there been anyone else, Xavier would not have spoken.

"I believe so." He answered the question, his voice quiet. "Unfortunately, there is a bit of a complication." He pulled out a chair and seated himself, turning so that he could lean forward and confer with Xavier quietly. "She's being held captive. I was not able to determine why or even how long she has been held. I was able to discover, however, the nature of her captor." Xavier said nothing, waiting for Strange to continue.

"His name is Mordru. A being from the future but I get the feeling that he has been around for a long time." He locked eyes with Xavier. "Even before Kara's probability, as Sue put it, rebooted. He has battled the Superboy and the Legion that Kara remembers, as well as the current Superboy and the current 30th century incarnation of the Legion. Though I have reason to suspect that the later was merely a shade of this being."

"It makes sense that anyone that would abduct the daughter of a clone of Kara would have to have been around at the time that Kara existed." Xavier mused. "Otherwise there would have been no way he could have known of her. But why?"

"I can not tell you how I learned what I know," Strange answered, "yet I can tell you that Superboy was instrumental in defeating Mordru each and every time they battled. Specifically, Superboy and Mon El." He held up a hand to forestall Xavier's question. "A paradox, I know. Yet the Mon El we know, the one Reed released from the Phantom Zone and cured, is the same Mon El that, with Superboy, would imprison Mordru. Yet with the changes that have been made, that Superboy never existed, at least not in the Probabilities that we are concerned with. And this Mon El did not remain in the Phantom Zone for over a thousand years, waiting to be released by a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Yet Mordru recalls what has already transpired. He considers it poetic justice that the two individuals instrumental in trapping him, in another time and place, be forgotten while he continues on."

"So what is his interest in the girl?" Xavier asked.

"I can only offer conjecture, at this point. She is Kryptonian, like Kara. Which means that she is going to be more powerful than any Kryptonian in the rebooted probability."

"You think this Mordru intends to use her?"

"I do." Strange smiled. "She disappeared over 15 years ago, yet thanks to the quirks of time travel, I believe we can get in and get her out before she spends more than a few hours in captivity. Before Mordru has an opportunity to corrupt her."

"I take it you have a plan?"

"Of course." Strange smiled. "But first, I must speak to both Rogue and Mon El. Preferably with out Kara."

"That should be easy enough." Xavier nodded. "Kara and Jenny are on the other side at the moment, helping someone named Martha Kent. Rogue and Mon El are here, talking with the scientists of Kandor. I believe they are trying to find a method of reversing a devolution process experienced by a Kryptonian animal they discovered on the other side."

"Good." Strange stood and headed for the door. "I shall gather them and depart. We will need one other to join us and I think it would be best if I had them with me when I approach her."

Xavier lifted an inquisitive eyebrow as Strange stepped out of the room, the door closing behind him.

"NO! Absolutley not!"

"No way! It ain't happening, Doc!"

Both Rogue and Mon were looking at Dr. Strange as if he had lost his mind. Or rather, they were looking at what he held in his hands.

"It will be of tremendous psychological value, I believe." He assured them in his quiet, unperturbed voice.

"Look Doc, that is a skirt. I don't wear skirts. At least not on the job. And not that one in particular." Rogue glared at him, her entire stance yelling that she would not back down on this one. Strange merely tossed one bundle of clothes at her and the other at Mon El.

"To be honest, I would like to sit here and debate the issue with you, however, we haven't the time. We're leaving…NOW!"

"Rao!" Rogue clutched her head as the world wobbled. She had seen the Doc raise his hands as he tossed the bundles, yet she had not been prepared for whatever it was he did. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs and open her eyes. Since she was looking down, the first thing she saw was her own feet. Her face turned as red as the boots she found herself wearing and she turned to lash out...and abruptly changed her mind.

They were no longer in the FF HQ but in an ally of some city. Beside her, Dr. Strange looked as he always did. Not attired in an ordinary fashion, but not dressed so that he would attract as much attention as Rogue and Mon were bound to. On her other side Mon was still clearing his head. Rogue doubted he had noticed yet what Strange had done. Standing there, for anyone that might enter the ally, Mon El looked as if he could pass for a younger sibling of the man that normally wore that red and blue suit, complete with red cape. In fact, he looked just like… Rogue gasped. He looked exactly like those robots at Ma Kent's! He looked like Superboy!

And she, with the exception of her hair…she gasped as she pulled some into view. Gone was the natural red. Instead, her hair was the same golden blonde that Kara wore. And the costume. It was Kara's old costume. A replica of the one she had been wearing when she had battled the Anti-monitor.

She rounded on Strange, ready to demand an explanation. His upraised hand stopped her. He was turning slowly, as if getting his bearings.

"Where the hell are we and what the hell's going on?" Mon whispered in her ear. He was irritated, that was obvious. Rogue merely shrugged and indicated Strange.

"This way." Strange announced suddenly. He started to rise into the air, stopping about 8 feet off the ground when he noticed neither Rouge nor Mon were following. "I will explain shortly. Believe me. It is imperative that we move quickly, however." He told them. He then continued to rise.

Mon and Rogue exchanged looks.

"Well, since I'm dressed for it, I might as well play the part." Rogue finally said, smiling slightly. "Let's see, how does…ah Yes", She grinned at Mon. "Let's grab some sky!" She leapt up to follow Strange and, with a groan, Mon followed.

As they flew up over the city, their puzzlement grew. This was no city that Rogue had ever seen. She followed Strange, yet a part of her was busy taking in the sights. They weren't in New York. That much was obvious instantly. That tower over there was not…she halted her flight. Hovering in the air as she slowly spun, taking in the landmarks. The one that had caught her attention had a great spinning globe….

"Yes, it's Metropolis." Strange told her, grasping her arm. "We are in a hurry and hovering up here is bound to attract attention."

"I think we already have." Mon El called out. The others looked where he was pointing. Streaking up from the ground…. was Superman.

"The resemblance is uncanny!" Superman was saying as the four continued on. After a brief moment, during which Strange had explained their need for haste, Superman had agreed to accompany them to their destination. At the moment he was flying in formation behind Strange and between Rogue and Mon. He kept swiveling his head to look at the young man beside him. "You look exactly like Mon'l."

"Not surprising, Superman." Strange called back. "He is actually an alternate incarnation of the same person."

"He comes from Kara's Probability, Superman." Rogue explained. "Had that probability continued on, he would have been trapped in the Phantom Zone, along with the criminals from Kara's Krypton, for another thousand years."

"Not something I like to dwell on." Mon shivered. Superman simply shook his head and then turned to Rogue.

"And how are you doing? Last I saw, you and Kara were starting your own team, working with Stark Industries." He paused, looking at her carefully. "You know, with the blonde hair, it is easier to see the resemblance between you and Kara."

"A side effect of the absorption." Rogue shrugged. "Reed could probably explain it better than I. From what I understand, the process that made me a Kryptonian tried to make me into a duplicate of Kara. Except for some minor cosmetic differences, we are really exactly the same. Slide a sample of her blood and a sample of my blood under a microscope and you couldn't tell which was which."

"Not entirely accurate, but close enough." Strange put in. He had pulled up, hovering high above a small community. "There are other differences that a trained geneticist would see, but even then the differences would be slight." He motioned downward. "We're here."

"This is Leesburg." Superman frowned. He looked over at Strange. "You've come to see Supergirl?"

"Yes." Strange spread his arms and begin a gentle descent. "It seems we need her help once again."

"Again?"

"A long story, Superman." Rogue quipped as she followed Strange down.

"I hate paperwork!" Charlie Lewis propped his elbows on the desk, to either side of the object of his expressed hatred, and rubbed his eyes.

"It's not that bad, Charlie." Linda's voice was full of barely concealed amusement. "At least it's not an earth shattering event requiring a Supergirl."

Charlie looked up and over to where Linda sat at her own desk, hands flying as she sifted through her own pile of paperwork. Expense reports, personal notes, and everything else that went with the job of Private Investigator. Those people that thought being a PI was glamorous had probably watched too much Magnum as kids and had no idea that 90% of the job was paperwork and dull research and long stake outs.

"Easy for you to say." He grumped as Linda's Out pile grew and her IN pile shrunk before his eyes.

"Well, I have to admit that this is good for a change." Linda continued. "To finally be myself for a change. Sometimes it nice not to have to be Supergirl."

"Spoken like a true hero." Both turned as the windows flew open. Charlie groaned as Superman darted in, too fast for anyone on the street to notice.

"Clark!" Linda jumped up as the Man of Steel touched down in the center of the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah," Charlie groused. "Couldn't find anyone to beat up on?"

Superman gave Charlie a look that would have caused most criminals to wilt. Charlie weathered it like a pro and gave as good as he got. Finally he turned his attention to Linda.

"I've brought you some visitors." He told her. "I flew on ahead to warn you and to find out what's been going on."

"What are you talking about?"

"Linda, exactly what have you been doing with Kara, Rogue, and the others?" Superman stood, hands on hips, glaring at Linda as if at a truculent child.

"Oh. Just helping out, here and there." Linda replied in an off hand manner.

"Just helping out." Superman shook his head. "Don't you have enough on your plate without jumping into other people's problems."

"Uh-oh, Linda made a decision without the Big man's permission." Charlie subsided when Linda cast a glare in his direction.

"Clark, I do not now, nor have I ever, felt that I have to clear all my actions with you first." Linda asked. Superman glared and then stepped back.

"Well…" Superman still looked at her as if she were being a spoiled child. "I guess I'm just going to have to have a talk with Kara when next I see her."

"I would suggest that you alter your approach if you do." Linda suggested, trying hard not to smile.

"Really." Charlie piped up, unable to resist. "She just might decide to take offense and bounce you off the walls."

"Charlie!" Linda glared at him again. He closed his mouth, but did nothing to hide the smile he wore.

"Believe me, Clark, I am not going to get into anything I can't handle." She was still looking at Charlie as she talked. "But I am not going to stop and ask for your okay before I offer to help someone."

Superman and Linda talked quietly for a moment more and then, moving as fast as he had when he arrived, he was gone, the curtains blowing out in his wake.

For a long moment, Linda merely stared out the window, lost in thought.

"Did he say who he brought?" Charlie asked finally, using the question to break into Linda's suddenly serious demeanor as much as to delay the inevitable return to the paperwork. "Obviously it isn't Kara or he would have said."

"I think we are about to find out." Linda turned and walked away from the window. She paused at the office door for a brief moment and then casually opened it.

"YOU!" Charlie shot to his feet, staring at the trio that stood in the doorway. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"If you don't mind, "Linda cast a glance back at Charlie "Why don't we let them come in before we start shooting questions. The last thing we need is some one to notice them in the hallway."

"OH!" For a moment, Dr. Strange looked truly chagrined. "I apologize. I had forgotten that you maintain a secret identity in this probability."

"That's okay." Linda's voice was strained now. "But it isn't going to be secret much longer if anyone sees you. Please?"

Strange, trailed by Rogue and Mon, filed into the room, allowing Linda to close and lock the door behind them.

"Now, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" She asked as she turned to them. If Strange heard the sarcasm, he did not react to it. She took in the costumes Rogue and Mon El wore and eyed Rogue's now blonde hair.

"Quite simply, we need your assistance." He held up a hand to forestall any questions or protests. "Not in Otherverse but, rather, here in your own probability."

"Here?" Instantly Linda perked up, her concern showing. If some super criminal from the Otherverse had some how made his or her way to this probability…

"To be more precise, your future." Strange clarified. "Ten centuries in your future."

"Ten Centuries?" Linda did not have to pause for thought. "This has something to do with the Legion of Super-heroes?"

"Only in a round about way." Strange hedged. He then proceeded to explain what he had discovered. Since neither Mon nor Rouge had heard this before, they listened as well, their jaws dropping as the story unfolded.

"Kara's daughter!" Linda wrapped her arms around herself, walking to a window. The others left her alone in her thoughts. She was about to turn and tell them she couldn't help when a motion on the roof of the opposite building caught her eye. "I'll be right back." She announced. She shifted instantly into Supergirl and zipped through the window.

"Are you involved in this?" Linda touched down on the roof of the building, hands on hips, glaring at the baseball bat-carrying boy.

"Who? Me?" Wally answered. He pushed his hat up and looked up at Linda. "Nice to see you too." Linda said nothing, waiting for Wally to continue.

"This is very important...remember what I told you in Otherverse? Doing this will give Otherverse the hope it needs."

"Kara's daughter?" Linda looked confused.

"The five of you will hold the Future of Otherverse in your hands." Wally, as cryptic as ever, ignored Linda's question. "Don't fail them!"

"Five? Wally, I'm not taking Charlie into something like this."

"I wasn't talking about Charlie." Wally looked away, as if seeing something that Linda could not. "And listen to Dr. Strange, he's wise."

Linda turned her head in the direction Wally was looking, knowing that before she could turn back, he would be gone.

"So how do we handle this?" Linda asked as she flew back into the office. "I assume you have something in mind or you would not have Mon and Rogue dressed the way they are."

"You are quite correct." Strange nodded. "It is my feeling that, dressed as they are, Mon and Rogue will prove to be a psychological factor. Mordru has battled Superboy before…."

"Superboy? That punk?" Charlie huffed.

"Excuse me." Strange corrected himself "I meant of course, the Superboy that Mon is now portraying. The Superboy of Kara's reality. In any case, he has battled the Legion, of which both Kara and Superboy were members. Dressed as they are, it is my hope that they can cause a diversion. Or, at the least, keep his attention long enough for me to entrap him with my own magick."

"A diversion?" Rogue looked disgruntled. "Why don't you just let the three of us go in and pound him while you grab the girl?"

"If there were any hope of such an action succeeding, I would allow that." Strange answered dryly. "However, such a course would be nothing but an exercise in futility."

"Hey now." Charlie decided to put in his two cents. "You haven't seen Linda here in action."

"As a matter of fact, I have." Strange looked over at Charlie. "In my research to determine the best individuals for this task, I went back and studied each prospect." He turned to Linda. "While your exploits, up to and since your merger with Linda Danvers are quite remarkable, I am afraid even your powers alone would not be enough to accomplish our goal."

While Charlie might have his reservations about that, Linda did not. She knew she was powerful. She also knew that, no matter how powerful she was, there would always be some one even more powerful. If she could handle it all herself, there would be no need for the other heroes.

"So Rogue and Mon are a diversion." She said after a moments thought. "What role did you have in mind for me?"

"Role indeed." For the first time Strange smiled. "I need you to be yourself, in a manner of speaking." He paused. "When we rescue the girl, it is almost certain that she is going to be frightened. It was my thought that seeing a familiar face would help."

"I'm not sure I understand?"

"To put it simply, we do not need another Supergirl. Instead, we need a Linda Danvers."

"You want me to impersonate that girl's mother. You want me to be Kara!" Linda put it together.

"I want you to be the clone, to be more precise." Strange nodded. "But in essence, you are correct. To accomplish that I will, with your permission of course, open pathways within your mind that will allow you to alter your appearance slightly. It will be up to you, however, to do the acting and the alterations." Without waiting for a reply, he simply closed his eyes and laid two fingers along Linda's temple. He then dropped his hand, waiting for Linda's response.

"I'm not sure I can do that." Linda frowned, looking out the window. She knew about Kara. She and Kal had discovered the truth of their history. They knew that Kara had existed in a version of history that had been replaced with their own. She also knew that Kara's personality was not hers. While Kara had never been a dour pessimist, she had never been the light, optimistic person Linda was. It would be a considerable stretch…She turned to see everyone watching her. "Perhaps I can."

To Charlie, it seemed that Linda was standing straighter. Her eyes took on a hardness that he had never seen as she psyched herself up for the role.

"If we're going to do this, lets get to it." She did not seem to even concentrate as her hair wavered and turned a medium dark brown. Her face blurred slightly and seemed to broaden just a bit. And though no wrinkles or 'crows feet' appeared at the edges of her eyes, there was a definite change in her appearance, as if, before their very eyes, she had aged. Another moment and sprinkles of shot through her hair. "Well?" The word was almost snapped and Charlie jumped. This was no longer the Linda he knew. This was Kara!

"I…I didn't know you could do that!" he exclaimed.

"My transformations are restricted to Linda and Supergirl." Linda explained to the others. She then smiled at Strange. "However, it seems I still have some slight ability to alter my appearance slightly."

"To be expected." Strange nodded. "If you retained enough ability to transform at all, then it stands to reason that you would retain at least some ability to manipulate those forms. It is an ability you had buried in your sub-conscious."

Linda frowned, feeling extremely uncomfortable. It seemed Dr. Strange knew more about her than he had ever let on. She shook it off and squared her shoulders.

"Shall we go, then?" Even her voice, Charlie noted, was deeper. It seemed as if Linda had disappeared and Kara, in her Linda Danvers personae, had taken her place.

"Sure." He piped in. "What will I need?"

"You're not going, Charlie." Linda stated. "I won't have time to watch over you and I'm not going to take the chance of you being hurt."

"Hey now…" Charlie began to argue.

"I said No." Linda snapped. It wasn't Linda's voice, but rather Kara's. And it's tone left no room for further discussion on the issue.

"So what am I supposed to do while you're gone?" Charlie huffed.

Linda glanced at his desk and a small smile touched her eyes.

"You can catch up on the paperwork." She stated. She walked over to Strange and the others, turning to look back at Charlie. "I'll return as soon as I can." She told him and, with a simple gesture from Strange, they faded from sight.

"Great." Charlie threw himself back into his seat, glaring at the paper filled desktop. He then gazed out the window. "Be careful Linda." He whispered.

Rouge felt as if her insides were being yanked out. The trip was nowhere near as simple as the one from the FF HQ to Metropolis. When the swirling colors that accompanied the transition faded, she fell to her knees, retching on the hard, cold ground. Near her, she could hear Mon going through the same ritual. She felt gentle hands caress her forehead, sweeping her hair back out of the way as the contents of her stomach spewed forth.

"What the hell happened?" She heard a voice that she knew belonged to Kara demanding. Had it actually been Kara, she would not have been surprised at the tone or the words. Yet knowing that it came from Linda was a bit unsettling.

"I'm not quite sure." Dr. Strange's voice seemed distant, thoughtful. "Offhand, I would have to say that some one or something interfered with the transfer."

"So where are we?" She heard Mon ask between gasps.

"From what I can see, I would have to say that Linda stated it correctly. Hell!"

It was an effort, but finally Rogue was able to raise her head and look around.

The scene that greeted her looked as if it had been taken directly from the pages of Dante's Inferno. Around them the rubble of what had once been a great city lay scattered. Fires blazed out of control throughout the ruins. Howling winds, from which they were sheltered by the still sturdy remains of building walls, swept through the city, fanning the flames, feeding the fire even as it sucked the air out.

"Firestorm." Mon breathed. Though he had no direct connection to it, he had learned enough earth history to equate what he was seeing now with the views and eyewitness accounts of the firestorms that had swept through Dresden during World War 2.

Yet this city was not Dresden. And the style of what remained of the buildings and burnt out husks of vehicles showed that it was not the 1940's.

"This can't be!" he whispered to himself.

"Oh my god!" Rogue heard Linda gasp behind her, the façade of Kara slipping briefly.

"You know this place?" Strange turned to her, his eyebrows arching. His right hand clutched the Eye of Amagotto, as if the contact allowed him to draw strength. He did not wait for her to answer before turning away. "Of course. It is obvious."

"What's going on?" Rogue held down another spasm as she looked around. The effects of the transfer were beginning to fade, giving her some control. Right now, she felt like the odd man out. It was obvious to her that her three companions recognized this place.

"We have been detoured." Strange answered, somewhat absently. "This, desolation, is where Matrix was created."

"Matrix?"

"He means me." Linda put in. Gone was any attempt to be Kara. Now she was Linda, through and through. 'This is where that portion of me that was matrix was created to battle criminals that had escaped from the Phantom Zone." She shook her head. "I…I have never thought of that time. I had…forgotten."

"No, you buried it." Strange said. "Just as you had buried your ability to transform. I opened pathways in your mind to allow you access to those abilities. With them came the memories."

'You were…created?" Mon was astonished.

"A part of me, yes." Linda answered. She was still staring around, as if she were in a dream from which she could not awake. "Linda was…is real. It is a long story, but to save her life, I merged with her. We became one." She shook herself, turning to look at Mon. "I am Linda, now, and she is me." She then whirled, facing Strange. "Why are we here? This world is dead!"

"Oh no. Not quite, deary." Everyone turned to see the three figures hovering in the air, some distance away. "We're here and now, so are you."

"Jax Ur!" Mon growled and jumped, becoming a red and blue streak as he attacked. Yet, as fast as he moved, the one named Jax Ur moved faster. He slid to the side, grasping one of Mon's outstretched hands as he neared and twirled. With a grunt, Mon was slammed to the ground, causing a small quake that leveled still more of the surrounding buildings.

"You…" Rogue started to fly into the fray when Linda placed a hand on her shoulder. Where before there had been a look of bewilderment, there was now one of a calm rage.

"No, Rogue." She spoke. "They're not real." She turned to Strange. "Some one else is playing mind games. We cannot be here, because this…this Pocket Universe ceased to exist long ago." She pointed to where the three Zoners were converging on Mon El. "They can't exist because they are dead. Rendered powerless by exposure to Gold Kryptonite." She took a deep breath. " They had completely killed off the entire world and so, acting as judge, jury, and executioner, Superman exposed them to Green Kryptonite." She stared at Strange. "They can't be here because they are dead. We can't be here because this place does not exist!"

"Well, for people that are dead, they are doing a great job of acting alive and kicking Mon's butt." Rogue jerked away from Linda and entered the fray.

"To a degree, she is correct." Strange remarked. "It matters little if they can or cannot exist. As long as Mon believes they do, they will be able to harm him." He paused. "However, since we have been here I have been attempted to remove us from this place. Yet I found everything I attempted blocked. Now I understand why." He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, his hands outstretched to the side. Linda watched amazed as a blue glow began to envelope him.

Rogue waded into the Zoners, sending them sprawling. She grasped hold of Jax Ur and spun him around.

"You are just as much a pain as your relative on Roykin!" She hissed as she slammed him into the side of a building. She ducked and snaked out a foot as Zod attacked from the rear. The Kryptonian Martial arts Kara had taught her was finally coming in handy. Her toes caught Zod in the solar plexus. Even as they touched she was spinning, for that contact was not meant to injure but merely support her for her next move. She brought her other foot up to catch Zod in the face. Though he moved to counter, he was not quick enough. Rogue's right foot impacted with all the force she could muster, causing bones to snap and teeth to pop. In a fight between Kryptonians, even super-powered ones, some one was bound to get hurt.

For long moments Linda divided her attention between Dr. Strange and the battle. She was watching as the female member of the Zoners brought her fists, locked together, smashing into the small of Rogue's back. Zod, bleeding and still nursing his busted jaw, lay sprawled some distance away. Jax Ur, for his part, was being bounced around the rubble by an enraged Mon El. A small sound brought her attention back to Dr. Strange. He was now standing straight in a bright blue globe of energy, holding the Eye of Amagotto above his head.

Linda yelped and ducked her head as bright light flashed from the Eye. When the spots stopped dancing in her eyes, she saw that they no longer stood in the rubble of the city. Instead, they floated in a place awash with swirling colors.

"Where are we?" She asked. She looked around and saw that both Rogue and Mon were looking around, confused. Rogue winced and put a hand to her back and Mon was wiping away a trickle of blood from a cut above his eye.

"Strictly speaking, we are no where." Strange answered. He lowered the eye of Amagotto, nodding to himself. "But to answer your question in terms you will understand, we are standing at the edge of a protective bubble." He waved a hand and a portion of the swirling colors solidified, becoming a curved wall that stretched beyond sight on all sides. "No, this is not what it looks like, but it is, in essence what we hit when I tried to transport us earlier."

'You're saying we bounced off that wall and ended up in that Pocket Universe?" Rogue asked as she and Mon rejoined the Doc and Linda.

"In a manner of speaking. It would be more accurate to say that we hit a barrier set in place long ago. A barrier meant to throw specific persons back where they came from."

"It was meant to guard against intrusions by Kara or Superboy." Mon concluded, putting the pieces together. "That was what this Mordru would have guarded against. And the barrier was meant to repel them."

"Exactly." Strange nodded. "As powerful as this Mordru seems, his knowledge of Alternate Probabilities seems to be restricted to those adjacent to Linda's. I do not believe he is even aware of those probabilities that are not adjacent."

"That being the case, he would have naturally put up barriers against those he considered to be major threats." Linda put in. She was thoughtful for a moment and then closed her eyes.

"So how do we get past this barrier? Rogue wanted to know. "Won't it just shunt us back to that dead place?"

"I don't think so!" Rogue whirled at the sound of Kara's voice. It was Linda, once again in character, yet now she sported the fiery wings Rogue had seen on her first trip to Otherverse. "Hold hands!" She commanded, taking Strange's hand in her own. She stepped forward slowly, her face a study of concentration. As she approached the wall, Rogue took a deep breath. Sparks flew as Linda touched the wall. Her wings swept forward, slipping through the barrier and slicing a doorway through which she strode, pulling the others in after her. She breathed a sigh of relief as Mon stepped through, the wall closing with an audible snap behind him.

"How…" Rogue let her question trail off in amazement.

"The barrier was meant to repel certain individuals and certain types of individuals." Linda explained. "I figured he might not have thought about some one like me. I was right." For a moment Linda appeared shaken. "He built that before I or my world existed." She continued. "He built that when Kara was Supergirl!"

"Yes, you are quite correct, my dear." Everyone spun at the voice. Emerging from the swirling colors, he looked very much like the wizards of lore with his pointed hat and long, flowing white beard. "And you are also correct that I had not foreseen one such as you. A mistake I shall not make again!" Mordru raised one hand, and darkness covered the heroes.

End of _**A World Without Heroes**__** - Chapter Eight**_.

_**Click here to go to Chapter 9**_


	9. Chapter 9

_A World Without Heroes_

In a world without heroes

There's nothing to be

It's no place for me

-_Music From the Elder_

_KISS_

Chapter 9

**Otherverse (Just outside Smallville)**

"I think that's got it!"

Both Jenny and Kara stepped back to review their handiwork. It had not taken long, working together, for the two of them to reassemble Ma Kent's home. After the attack by Dr. Doom's Doombots, there had not been much left. A pile of extra long toothpicks, Mon had called it before he and Rogue had transferred back to the FF HQ with Krypto.

"Land's Sake." Martha Kent smiled as she saw what a Kryptonian and a Green Lantern could accomplish together. Grabbing their hands, she started through the door. Inside, the place looked much as it had before the destruction. At her insistence, Kara and Jenny sat and waited in the living room while she prepared some tea for them.

"How are you doing?" Jenny asked, looking Kara over carefully.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose." Kara's voice was quiet, almost subdued. She, like Jenny, was recovering from what Linda had called Shard Poisoning. While it was understandable that the Shard would affect Jenny, it was a puzzle to everyone why Kara would be the most affected while Rogue felt only a mild irritation.

A puzzle, that is, until Linda had returned to Otherverse and brought Kara back to some semblance of sanity. It was then they had learned of the Spirit of this probability's Superman and his attempt to contact Kara. That, in addition to all the other stress in her life and the influence of the Shard had sent her over the edge.

"Any idea what we should do now?" Jenny had, like all the others, thought that by cornering and catching Lex Luthor, they could find and remove the shard with no difficulty. Yet with Luthor's escape and the destruction of the Fortress of Solitude, that idea had wilted.

"Yes." Kara stood and walked to the door. She glanced toward the kitchen where Martha Kent was still working at the tea. "We stop playing around. We stop letting ourselves get distracted. We go after the Shard and remove it. Then we can concentrate on the rest."

"And I suppose you have a plan?" Jenny demanded, somewhat exasperated.

"Not really. Actually, I was thinking of taking a page out of Ben Grimm's book." Kara smiled, but there was no humor in the gesture. "We can start by leveling LexCorps."

"That might not be such a bad idea." Both women jumped. The voice, one they recognized, had come from the empty space between them. As they watched, Sue Richards, AKA the Invisible Woman, faded into view.

"Are you trying to give us heart attacks on top of everything else, Sue?" Jenny demanded, her tone only partially joking.

"Not really." Sue replied, unperturbed. "Just trying to avoid undue notice." She held out a manila folder. "Reed sent me to bring you this. His latest readings."

Kara took the folder, flipping it open to scan the sheets within.

"According to this, he has developed a method of tracing the energy of the Shard!" She exclaimed.

"He has." Sue confirmed. She nodded in Jenny's direction. "He hypothesized that the Shard energy would not be noticeably different than the energy Jenny uses. It took him awhile to discover that Jenny's energy is tainted with a minute amount of Gamma Radiation. Once he filtered that out, he was able to get a reading on that energy." Taking the folder back, she flipped through several sheets and withdrew one.

"This is what he discovered. Two readings. The stronger of the two he discovered was right here. The other, faint, is centered in Metropolis."

"That doesn't make sense." Jenny frowned. "I know that I have more energy than the average Green Lantern, and that I don't have to worry about recharging, as they do, but I would assume that the shard, a piece of the Great battery, would have even more energy."

"And you would be assuming correctly." Sue nodded. She tapped the sheet. "It is Reed's opinion that the Shard is being kept in a shielded room. Most likely lead lined."

"Which would explain why I would not be able to find it with X-ray vision." Kara mused. She shook her head. "I should have thought of that. Of course Luthor would have hidden the Shard from Superman and how else could he do it but in a lead lined room?"

"So what do we do?" Jenny asked, her exasperation showing again. "Do we bust into to every room you can't see through?"

"No." Sue answered before Kara could. She then produced two small devices suspended from chains. She slipped one over Kara's head and the other over Jen's. "You use these." She tapped the device now hanging from Jen's neck. "This is a mask. It is in constant communication with the other." She tapped Kara's next. "This one is a sensor. In effect, it will act as a receiver. It will sense Lantern energy and allow you to triangulate on it. As long as Jen is wearing the Mask, it will ignore any energy she puts off. thus allowing you to get a fix on the Shard."

Kara held up the receiver and looked at it for a long moment before turning her attention back to Sue.

"Reed has been working on this for some time, hasn't he?" She asked.

"Ever since you made the first trip here." Sue acknowledged.

"While we have accomplished nothing. Nothing."

"That is not quite true." Sue countered. She pulled another sheet from the folder. "These are more of Reed's findings. He believes that the Shard is partially self-aware. And he believes that it will take action to protect itself. To that end, he believes that the Shard has actively been attempting to distract you. It has tossed obstacles in your path that seemingly have no connection to it. Nothing you could point at and know that it was the Shard's work." She paused. "It is also Reed's impression that it sees in you two the greatest threat. You, Kara because it connects you to this Probabilities Superman. And you, Jen, because in you it senses the energy wielded by Hal Jordon when he destroyed the Great Battery." She paused and then went on. "Lex Luthor believes that he has been using the Shard to gain the power he craves. It would be closer to the truth to say that the Shard has been using Lex Luthor. We believe that is why it has brought Dr. Doom to the Otherverse. With his new found fixation on Linda, Lex was becoming a less than useful tool for the Shard."

"Whatever." Kara waved that aside as having no importance. "We can sort out all the sordid details later. Right now. Let's get Rogue and Mon and go after that hunk of metal."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

All three women turned as Xavier, followed by Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm walked through the door.

"It seems that Dr. Strange…drafted Rogue and Mon for something." Xavier continued. "There's no telling how long they'll be gone."

He paused and looked straight at Kara.

"You, however, can't wait." He slid his hover chair as close to Kara and Jenny as possible. "I've analyzed all the date I was able to get from Linda. And it appears she was correct, you are both suffering from what she called Shard Poisoning. The sooner you take care of the Shard, the better off you'll be."

"I think we had already come to that conclusion, Prof." Kara replied, her tone dry.

"Yes, I was certain you would. However, have you come up with a method of battling it? Or were you just going to go charging off with the hope that you would not flip out again?"

"Well I have come up with something." He told them when neither answered. He raised a finger. "I want you both to look at the tip of my finger. Keep your eyes on it. See it getting larger and larger…."

"So Rogue and Mon are out." Kara said later, after Xavier brought them out of the hypnotic trance in which he had placed them. It was not a sure fire cure, but the suggestions he had given them would help them to keep their cool and stay focused for a time. Hopefully it would be long enough. "I suppose Reed has some suggestions for approaching this?"

"As a matter of fact, he does." Sue answered. "He suggests you hold off until Mon and Rogue return before you try to tackle this."

Kara looked at Jenny who gave a slight shake of her head.

"We can't wait, Sue." Kara said, "As it is, Jenny and I are just barely holding it together. Knowing that it is the Shard is helping hold the…call it insanity…at bay. But we can't hold out for long. We have to get this settled. The longer we wait, the better it is…for the Shard, not us." Instead of appearing concerned, Sue actually smiled.

"Reed knew that would be your answer, so he came up with an alternative." She indicated Ben and Johnny. "He said if you had to go after it, then you would need help, so he sent some."

She had no idea where she was, but she recalled all to clearly how she had gotten there.

She had been letting off steam. It had taken a few years, but she had finally gotten control of her powers. Luckily for them, her mom had been wise enough to move out into the countryside as soon as she had learned that her daughter had inherited her full Kryptonian abilities. She had half expected that would be the case. There was no reason to assume that the exposure to yellow K that had robbed her of her powers would affect her children. Of course it had, but not in the manner that would have been expected. Instead of being born without powers, she had been born with immunity to yellow K.

To her, it had only been yesterday that she had been doing the chores at superspeed. For the past three years she had basically been on her own, taking care of the home and the small farm her mother had started. She still went to school, though now she worked at the small burger joint in the town. Money had had never been a problem. Yet she had not felt right using the money her mom received on a monthly basis for her own pleasure. She would use that money for feed for the animals or groceries or some other expense for the home and farm. But she felt it only right that she earn her own money to buy the particular brand of clothes she wanted, or to buy the latest album by her favorite group.

She finished her last duties, making sure the horses were groomed and well fed and headed back to the house. She had to change and zip up to the hospital. It was Mother's day and she was determined that she was going to spend the entire day with her mom, no matter what the nurses or doctors might say.

Oh, she knew there was little chance of her mom coming out of the coma. For three years she had lain there. The experts all said that she was brain dead. That there was absolutely no activity. Yet, even with out being hooked to life support, she continued to live. If you could call being rolled and turned by nurses every few hours to avoid bedsores that she would never feel even if she got them living. She had just stepped out of the house, getting ready to fly up to the hospital when she had been snatched up by some unseen power.

It was a struggle, but soon, Carrie was able to force her eyes open. As yet, her limbs refused to move. It was as if invisible restraints held her fastened to the cold slab upon which she lay. For a moment, fear threatened to overcome her. She fought it off, thinking of the stories her mother had told her. Always honest with her, her mother had told her the truth of her origins. She had been a clone of a great super-hero. Complete with her memories and abilities, yet twisted in the mind. That hero, called Supergirl, had stripped her of her power and then, with the help of her cousin, Superman, healed her mind. Her mother had told her story after story about Kara Zor-El. She remembered the first time she had seen a picture of Kara in the newspaper. She had kept looking from the picture back to her mother as she cooked breakfast…they were identical! She remembered huddling before the television tears streaming from her face as she buried her face in her mother's shoulders the day Batgirl had delivered Kara's eulogy. She had always thought that, somehow, Kara's death was linked to her mother's coma, even if the two events were five years apart. She remembered her determination to take Kara's place when she got older. She would not try to replace her, but perhaps, by using her powers as she did, to help others, she could honor the woman that she considered to be her other mother, even if she didn't know it! All of this ran through her mind, keeping the fear that had threatened to engulf her in check. What would Kara do in this situation?

Thinking had helped to regain her calm, but not before a single low sob had escaped.

"Who's there?"

Carrie was shocked into stillness. She had not realized there was anyone else with her. Who ever it was, she seemed to be as immobilized as she, unable to even turn her head. Yet…there was something familiar about that voice…

The darkness that had enveloped them lasted only a brief instant.

"Shirack!" A blinding flash of light that swept back the tide of darkness accompanied the snapped word. "I am not so easily taken, Mordru."

Rogue turned her head to see Dr. Strange stepping forward, the Eye of Amagotto held high. The golden disk glowed as the eye opened once again, this time to release a beam of light that lashed out to strike the wizard. Strange's eyes widened as the beam seemingly struck Mordru and…dissipated.

"Fool." Mordru sneered. "You seek to match magic with one that has taken the power of the Wizard World into himself?" He lifted a hand, pausing as both Rogue and Mon moved, putting themselves between the two sorcerers.

"Linda. Go!" Rogue sub vocalized, pitching her voice so that only Linda would hear it.

"Where?" Though every ounce of her being told her she should stay, she was willing to let Rogue lead on this.

"Anywhere. Just get away from here. Try to find anything that might look like a place where the girl could be held." Rogue dismissed Linda from her mind as Mordru's face took on a look of rage.

"YOU!" He snarled. He was looking at Mon. "You are dead! You…ahh." The rage turned to a sneer. "You fool no one, Daxamite! The cursed Kryptonian is dead. " His attention turned to her, his eye narrowing. "And you…you are not who you appear to be either."

"I didn't think it would work." Rogue muttered. "Oh well." Without further hesitation, she launched herself at Mordru. She fully expected to be slapped down before she could reach him. She was surprised however, when she connected, sending the startled mage flying backwards.

"I've covered you with a protective shell." Strange called. "It will not last long. Make the most of it!"

Even as Rogue was attacking, Linda was slipping away. Her wings gone now, she was once again the image of what Kara would look like in her Linda Danvers personae.

"Find a place that a little girl could be held." She repeated aloud. "Right. I'm standing in the middle of nothing but swirling color and I am supposed to find a particular place.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Linda whirled, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Here." A figure, covered in shadow, stepped out of the maelstrom of color. "It's all illusion, you know."

Linda stepped closer and though the shadow lessened as she neared, it never quite lifted completely.

"Who are you?" Had she in truth been Kara, she would have already prepared herself to either attack or defend. She was not, however, Kara. Linda was more trusting, more optimistic. Though she was wary, she would not adopt a stance that might be taken as threatening until the other gave her reason to.

Though the other made no move, it was apparent that it was her will that dispersed the shadows, giving Linda a clear view.

Her skin was almost bone white, her eyes slanting to the outside and running into antenna that swooped upward. Yet, there was something about her….

"We have not met, Supergirl." The woman was calm personified. "I do not believe an incarnation of myself exists in your reality as yet. Yet you have met an incarnation of my sister. Nura Nal."

"Dream Girl!" Linda exclaimed. "The Legion of Super-Heroes!"

"In a manner of speaking." The woman nodded. "In my time I was Mysa Nal. Called the White Witch." She turned sweeping her arm to indicate the maddening swirl of color, as if to say that line of discussion was ended.

"An illusion, you said." Linda took the hint. "What did you mean?"

"Exactly that, Supergirl. Mordru has cast an illusion to befuddle you and any that come here."

"Wouldn't Dr. Strange have warned us about that?"

"It would have done no good." Mysa shook her head. "It is the nature of this illusion. Each individual must work to see past the illusion on his or her own." She turned her gentle yet penetrating eyes back to Linda. "You have it within you, far easier than the others, to dispel the illusion. You have demonstrated that power once simply by entering this place." She paused and then stepped back, the shadows once again covering her. "I must go now. I am needed…elsewhere."

"But…" Linda trailed off. Mysa Nal was gone. "An illusion." She mused, turning back to the problem at hand. She considered Mysa's words and then ran backwards. "…to enter this place!" She smiled and let her form flow. No longer was she Linda Danvers. Now she stood revealed, for all to see that could, as Supergirl, Earth Born Angel. Floating amid the colors, radiant wings blazing through the kaleidoscope, breaking through and dispersing the swirl.

Gasping, Linda took in the view that lay revealed before her. She was floating above the most desolate landscape it had ever been her misfortune to look upon. Stretching for miles in all directions she could see nothing but bare rocks, gravel, and wind swept mounds. Nothing she saw even hinted that there had once been more.

"And now it is my turn."

Linda spun in the air. This time, there was no shadows or colors to obscure the speaker. Her eyes widening, she beheld a winged woman, obviously of Native American descent, hovering in the air.

"Dawnstar!" She breathed in relief. A relief that was short lived. For while this person appeared to be the Dawnstar of the Legion of Superheroes, there were differences. The most apparent being her age. This woman, for woman she was, had to be in her late twenties or early thirties. Not the teen Linda knew Dawnstar to be.

"Yes. I am Dawnstar." The woman was all business. There was little of the warmth Linda had felt from Mysa. "Though I am not who you believe me to be." She gestured for Linda to follow. "There is no time to discuss it now. We must hurry. She took a brief moment to orient herself. "This way!"

As far as Linda could see, the winged woman had chosen a direction at random. Yet, if she were, as she said, Dawnstar, then her natural navigating and tracking abilities would lead her where she needed to go. Linda followed, matching the woman's speed as they flew over the bare, dead landscape.

"I ain't to sure about this." Ben Grimm grumbled. He was looking around nervously, taking extreme care not to look down. He was, at the moment, surrounded by a green bubble, the sides against which he braced himself. "Are you sure you got this Green energy stuff all figured out?"

"Actually, I'm still learning," Jenny commented winking at Kara. "So far I've been able to carry up to two hundred pounds for about thirty minutes before giving out."

"Give out?" Ben turned his head and glared at Jenny. "And what happens then?"

"Oh no big deal. The energy just switches off for a brief moment before I re start it."

The look on Ben's face told them all that, if it were possible, it would have turned green.

"She's ribbing ya, Ben." Johnny storm, AKA the Human Torch, laughed. He was flying along side the bubble. "Jenny's gotten pretty good at being a…what did you call it?"

"A Green Lantern." Kara called out. Her tone was that of a person only partially paying attention. Indeed, she was being extremely cautious as the quartet sped towards Metropolis. Using her Super hearing and sight abilities, she was scanning the sky and the ground for any indication that they had been noticed. "Heads up!" She called out. "Looks like we've got a welcoming committee just this side of the city limits. She pulled up, hovering with the others, as three huge machines waded out into the open. More of the giant Doom-bots. She swallowed. The last time she had battled these machines, they had literally stomped her, Rogue, Mon, and Jenny. And yet, some how Linda had been able to disable a pack with out raising a sweat.

"Kryptonite!" She snapped her fingers. Then frowned. "Yes, they could be powered with Kryptonite. That would make both Rogue and I vulnerable. But why had Mon or Jenny not been able to…of course. " She drifted closer to Jenny.

"Those thing may be built by Dr. Doom," She said. "But I'm betting that they are being protected by the Shard."

"Makes sense." Jenny nodded. "That would explain why my Lantern Energy had no effect on them." Kara went on to detail her thoughts on the Kryptonite.

"And I would venture to guess that Dr. Doom has added something to them that slightly nullifies Mon's immunity to lead." She said. "I think these three we let Ben and Johnny handle."

"Sure thing, girlie." Ben drawled. "Just as soon as lean mean and green there puts my feet back on ever lovin' Terra firma!"

"Aw com'on, Ben, where's your sense of adventure." Johnny teased.

"I'll give you adventure, Matchhead." Ben growled as Jenny gently lowered him to the ground, causing the bubble to dissipate even as it made contact with the ground. Jenny then touched down herself, letting the energy fade.

"Jenny?"

"Hey, girlfriend." Jenny smiled up at Kara. "I haven't always been a Green Lantern. Perhaps it's time I remembered that I was She-Hulk long before you or Hal Jordon showed up."

"Now yer talking, Girlie." Ben smiled, balling his fist as he strode towards the approaching metal monsters. "C'mon…It's Clobbering Time!"

"I knew he was going to say that!" Johnny groaned. He shot upwards, trailing a tail of fire, and angled back down towards the giant Doom-bots. From his out stretched hands, blasts of flame shot forth, completely engulfing the lead monster.

Jenny and Ben split up, each making towards one of the other two behemoths. As he approached his target, Ben stopped, hands on hips, glaring up at the towering mass of animated metal. The machine, intent on it's target, which, apparently, was Kara, paid him no head. One huge foot rose and crashed downward. It was not a conscious attack, merely another step taken without any thought of who or what might be in the way.

The Bot was jerked to a stop as the foot halted its descent a full seven feet above the ground. Hands held up over his head, Ben grasped the giant foot. With a snarl and a curse, he twisted. He hoped that who ever had built these things had built them to withstand the kind of punishment he was dealing out at the moment. He didn't want the foot to tear off in his hands. Instead, he wanted…yes! The giant swayed and began to fall to the side as Ben applied pressure, turning the foot until the bot swiveled and fell, sprawling to the ground.

Jenny was not so neat. While it was true she had been She-Hulk much longer than she had been a Green Lantern, it had been months since she had performed any major feats with out the Lantern Energy that coursed through her body. As she waded in, she wasted no time. Using techniques she had picked up from Kara during their Koh-Re lessons, she lunged forward, hit the ground with her hands, and sprang up to strike the bot's mid-section with both feet. Unable to counter against the massive power unleashed in that strike, the bot tumbled backwards, dirt and debris flying as it crashed to the ground.

Jenny did not let it lie there long. As soon as she had regained her feet, she had leapt upwards to land on the things chest plate. Her hands pumping like jackhammers, she struck the plate again and again. First causing it to buckle inwards and then tearing, the metal shrieking in protest against the pounding it was being forced to endure. Even then, Jenny did not let up. Grasping the jagged tear in her hands, she heaved them apart, widening the rip and yanking huge chunks of metal away. She then plunged her hands in, tangling them in the mess of gears and wiring and pulled. Handful after handful she pulled out and tossed aside. To any observer, it would seem she was dismantling the giant bot…from the inside out!

Johnny Storm was not having as much luck with his target. Though his initial blast had melted and sheared off any external sensor devices, leaving the behemoth deaf and blind, he could not unleash enough power to stop it. That much power, he quickly realized, would have vaporized a good section of the nearby city, killing more innocents than the bot would have.

Kara, watching all this, noted Johnny's dilemma. She thought for a moment and finally hit upon a plan. Since the bots were obviously constructed with minute particles of Kryptonite sprinkled into their metal husks, it was obvious she could not engage them physically. Yet perhaps she could do something indirectly. Scanning with her x-ray and telescopic vision, she quickly spotted what she was looking for. A building under construction. Pouring on the speed, she flew to the site and found just what she needed. Suspended from a crane, lifting slowly upward to be fitted in place, was a large I-beam. She didn't stop to ask permission. With a quick swoop she had slipped the beam from it's cradle, making sure that it would not snap upward, injuring any bystanders, and sped back to the battle.

Already Ben and Jenny were putting the finishing touches on their machines. Johnny, however, was still frustrated, it would be so easy to melt it to slag, but the cost in innocent lives was not a cost he was willing to pay.

"Johnny, heads up!" Kara called out as she zoomed into position over the monster. She took quick aim and hurled the I-beam downward like a massive spear. The roar of thunder as the projectile crashed through to sound barrier an instant after leaving her hands was followed by the sound of explosive energy being released as the beam bashed it's way through the domed top of the Doom-bot, continuing on through, vaporizing much of the insides. The projectile sped on, striking the ground and traveling a good half-mile downward.

For an instant, Kara feared she had used too much power, fearing that the shaking ground was the prelude to an earthquake she would be responsible for. The tremors subsided, however, leaving behind an eerie quiet. Of the bot, only bits and pieces remained, and those were fused together beyond recognition.

Despite his own accomplishments, Ben Grimm stood beside the wasted hulk of his target, gaping at Kara as Johnny quietly landed beside him.

"Impressive, huh?" Johnny was aware of the awe in his own voice as he whispered to Ben.

"Yeah. Remind me not to get that lady mad at me." His eyes were busy traveling from the hole in the ground, to the melted bits and pieces of bot, to Kara and back again. "Damn."

Seeing that all three machines were disabled, Jenny stood atop the one she had destroyed, grinning up at Kara. Clutching crushed pieces of bot in her upraised hands, she made a scowl.

"Me Hulk! Me Smash!" She warbled in her most guttural voice.

"Oh Puh-leese." Kara groaned, rolling her eyes. She was, however, unable to hide her smile.

"Always wanted to say that! Cousin Brucie always got the good lines!" Jenny had reactivated her Lantern Energy and risen to hover near Kara. Almost instantly the mischievous smile left her face and she was once again serious. "Doom can't have too many more of those. But there's no doubt who's in charge at LexCorps now."

"And he damned sure knows we're coming." Kara agreed, her tone grim. "What we'll be facing now are the regular Doom bots and LexCorps security!"

"And we have yet to see any metas." Jenny added.

End of _**A World Without Heroes**__** - Chapter Nine.**_

_**Click here to go to Chapter 10**_


	10. Chapter 10

_A World Without Heroes_

In a world without heroes

There's nothing to be

It's no place for me

-_Music From the Elder_

_KISS_

Chapter 10

Neither Carrie nor Karen, for such the unseen girl had named herself, had ceased their efforts to free themselves. Though she would not say so, the presence of the other girl had caused Carrie to redouble her efforts. No Supergirl was going to come crashing through the stone walls to free them so, she felt, it was all up to her. She had to do what she could to help the other girl. Of course, that meant that she had to free herself first.

With a snarl of frustration, she kicked with her right leg, and was astonished when after so long, she met only the slightest resistance before what ever held her broke.

"Karen!" She hissed. "My Leg. I've got it free!"

"How?" Came the excited reply in that eerily familiar voice.

"I just gave it everything." Carrie answered. "Hold on let me see if I can get an arm free!"

From the sounds coming from her left, Carrie could tell that Karen was struggling once again. There was no way she was going to accomplish anything, not when it had taken all she had just to break her leg free, but…

"I've got my arm free!" Karen squealed. "Now if I…." Her words were cut off by the sound of a horrendous crash.

"What happened?" Carrie demanded, astonished. How could the girl have gotten an arm free?

"I…. I'm free. I got an arm free and slammed it down, shattering the slab I was on." Karen's voice was shaky, as if she were both relieved and awed by what she had done.

Carrie tried to move her leg again but was unable to break it free any more than she already had.

"I can't do it." She hissed, starting to get angry. She forced her self to calm down, remembering what her mother had always told her.

"You have the intelligence, your father saw to that, but getting angry will not help you. You have to keep calm and think things through." She would say. Of course, no matter how Carrie would plead or whine, her mother would never say more about her father than that.

"Hold on a second. I'll see if I can't…." Karen's voice trailed off.

"What?" Carrie demanded. "What's wrong?"

For a long moment, there was no answer. Then Karen moved into Carrie's line of sight.

"Gawd!" She breathed, looking up at the other girl. She was looking…. at herself!

She had no idea how long she had been following Dawnstar as they swept across the desolate landscape. In this place, time seemed to have no meaning…nor did distances. She could not have told how far she had traveled from where the others were, hopefully, keep Mordru busy. There were no landmarks that could she could use to gauge distance. One section of this waste looked like every other.

The only indication that she had that they were nearing their destination was the sudden dissapearance of Dawnstar. No explainations, no godd-byes, no wishes of good luck. One insant the winged woman was speeding along, cruising low over the featureless ground, the next she was gone.

Linda pulled up, fighting down an instant of panic as she looked around. At first, she could see nothing that would indicate that she was any closer to where ever it was Dawnstar had been leading her than she had before the Legionnaire had appeared.

Ah! Linda looked along the route they had been taking and there, just at the horizon, she could make out a darkish blob that had to be a building of some sort.

For an instant, Linda wished she had Kara's telescopic vision. Then she could merely have taken a good look at the place and then shunted there instantly, with out having to take the time to travel there. Since she didn't, she put an effort to it and poured on the speed. While she realized that she could never attain the speeds that Kara, Rogue, or Mon were capable of, she had learned that she could keep up with them when they flew in the atmosphere. There, they could only travel so fast without causing tremendous ground damage with their passage.

That speed she attained now as she raced towards the horizon.

With something to look at, something that stood out from the rest of the landscape, Linda was now able to see and sense the distance involved. Distance that was rapidly decreasing as she flew faster and closer.

It was not long before the blob began to take shape; growing out of the rock and dead ground like some unholy caricature of the medieval castles of the past.

Tall spires stabbed upwards, narrow windows darkened and sported the tattered remnants of what might have, at one time, been gloriously beautiful flags of days gone by.

The dark walls, topped with blood red spikes, ringed the entire castle, seeming more like the walls of a prison than the protective walls of olden days.

As it was, Linda spared the walls little thought, electing to sail over them and touch down in the court yard. Risky, to be sure. But if time was critical, then she could not spare the time to seek for an entrance from the outside.

Since she was half expecting to hear some alarm, or see some indication that her arrival had been noted, Linda was suspiciously surprised to see and hear no such thing.

Quickly "dousing" her wings, Linda let her features flow once again. Where Supergirl had once stood, an older Linda Danvers now looked around, glaringly out of place in this…this castle of Darkness.

She moved quickly and quietly. She had, upon her arrival, instantly noted the entrance to what had to be the inner keep. She made for that area now. She paused when she reached the great double doors.

She had wondered how she would get through the doors. How she could open them, slip inside, and then close them again undetected.

That, it seemed was not to be a problem. The doors were ajar! Though not wide open, the gap was more than wide enough to allow her to slip in. That, in itself, caused Linda to pause. Things were going much to easy.

"Yes." The voice was soft, almost inaudible. One of the doors swung inward a bit and a figure stepped partially out. His face was hidden, restricting Linda's view to his lower body.

The man was, she noted, dressed in a fashion totally inappropriate for the setting. He wore shin high boots, bright yellow in color, and a light purple jump suit, his waist encircled by a yellow utility belt. She did not need to see the face to know this person.

"Querl?" She was aware of the shaky tone of her voice, yet there was nothing she could do to change it. Too much was happening that she could not explain.

"Yes." The man answered, still standing within the shadow of the open door. "There is more here than meets the eyes." He continued. "More and, at the same time, less." He stepped forward and Linda gasped.

As with the Dawnstar that had led her to this place, this Querl Dox, called Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super Heroes, was a much older version of the Querl that had traveled to the 20th century and fallen in love with her. As she recalled that visit, she once again felt the remorse she had felt then at having to use that love to accomplish her own ends, no matter the reason. Using people was not something Linda relished.

Her encounter with both Myra Nal and Dawnstar had prepared her for this, yet it was still a shock to see. This Querl, in his early to mid thirties, was no less handsome than his younger counter part. Indeed, the eyes that looked out at her now seemed to have a bit more wisdom, as if they had seen things that the younger Querl could only dream of. Linda knew instantly who this Querl was.

"You are Kara's Querl." She blurted unable to stop herself. The man smiled slightly.

"You could say that." He answered, his tone still soft. He walked slower and reached out a hand, his green fingers brushing a strand of hair away from Linda's face. "You look a lot like her. You would look like her even without the disguise."

Linda could only gape at him.

"Unfortunately, we do not have the time to stand here and talk." Querl sighed. He held out another hand, this one grasping two yellow belts, similar to the one he wore around his own waist.

"You will need these." He told her. He hesitated after she had taken the belts and then, moving slowly, reached down and unfastened the one he wore and handed it to her as well. "You can not imagine the effort behind this." He was saying. "Pay attention. The two smaller belts are variations of mine. They will allow a Kryptonian to withstand magic for a short period." His smile did not reach his eyes and seemed to be more of a mocking nature. "I had help creating these since magic is not….WAS not…my forte."

"But.." Linda was confused now. "I'm not Kryptonian."

"I know. The last belt is for you to wear while you are here. It is my own personal shield belt. While it will not protect you from magic, it Will protect you from most projectiles and will allow you to survive for short periods of time in a total vacumn." He turned away with out further explaination. "Let's go. Time is of the essence."

Linda followed as the older Querl led her through a maze of hallways. Though she did her best to keep up, his pace more than once made her consider flying Along the route, she could not help but notice the grotesque decorations that lined the halls, carved into pillars and walls. The pictures and statues showed scenes that, in other places and times, would have sent her racing for the exit, her face burning with embarrassment.

"This is sick!" She shook her head, disgust written over her face as they passed a particularly repulsive statue.

"It's all for show." Querl said, talking back over his shoulder. "Whatever Mordru might be, he is not this perverted. This is merely a psychological device he uses to discourage unwanted visitors." He stopped and turned to face her.

"Yes, he could ring this place in spells of protection, but that requires a constant expediture of energy. Energy that he might need in battle. Better to use simpler methods in places where intruders can do no real harm anyway. Believe me, when you get to the more sensitive areas, you will find that he has magical guards enough."

"So where are we going?" Linda demanded as he turned and continued on. He looked neither left nor right, moving along without hesitation. She caught her breath as they passed a row of lit torches set high on the walls. She was looking down and could easily see her own wavering shadow as they trekked through the seemingly abandoned halls. Yet Querl cast no shadow. None at all!

"You came to perform a rescue." Querl answered, unaware of her sudden realization. "Those of us that can, have come to make sure you succeed." He paused again, this time to look directly in her eyes. "Actually, the others have come at my request. You see, I have a direct personal interest in this."

"I don't understand." Linda shook her head. Even now Querl didn't cast a shadow. He noticed where she was looking and a smile once again touched his lips but, as before, did not reach his eyes.

"As I said, there is more here than meets the eyes. More and less. Come."

She had long since given up trying to maintain her sense of direction as he led her through hall after winding hall. Yet when he stopped before a closed stone door, she felt that she was closer to the outer wall than she had been when she had entered the double doors. Close enough, perhaps, to be directly beneath them.

"Ironic, isn't it." Querl's smile was sarcastic now. "Mordru has one fear. The fear of being buried alive. It is the only way to stop him, you know. Yet, despite that fear, he keeps that which he wishes to secret or hold far beneath the surface." He shook his head. "No, he will not come here in person. While he may send an image or some other avatar, Mordru will not himself venture into these depths." He shrugged his shoulders and indicated the door.

"This is as far as I can go." He told her. "The rest is up to you."

"Wait a minute!" Linda decided it was time to get some answers. So far her polite demeanor had accomplished nothing. Perhaps it was time to take on some of Kara's attitudes. "I want some answers. Who are you people and why are you helping me? You said you had a direct interest?"

"There is no time for this." Querl frowned.

"Make time." Lind folded her arms across her chest. Her very stance was one that stated without question that she was not going to move from that spot until she got what she wanted.

"Youth." The look on Querl's face was a curious mixture of amusement and annoyance with a touch of resignation when he saw that Linda was not budging an inch further without some explanation.

"Very well." He said, risking a quick glance at the door. "I will tell you What I can, but not much. There really isn't any time. You have to get out of here and then get your friends to safety."

He took a moment to pull his thoughts together. Probably not, Linda thought to herself, not to figure out what to tell her, but rather how to tell her so that she could understand.

"We don't know why, but somehow something is breaking down the walls of reality. All along the time stream." He began. "I do not know what you may know of alternate probabilities, and we don't have the time for me to educate you. Suffice it to say that the barriers that separate the various probabilities are weakening. Basically, all that has happened is coming unraveled. Space and Time are both tearing under the strain. We, those of us that you have seen and those that are even now going to the aid of your friends, know this is so because we know what has happened to us. We have been written out of history and replaced. Yet we are here. We should not be. We should not exist." He paused. "have you noticed that none of us have ever gotten close enough to chance an accidental touch? That is because our two realities cannot co-exist. Your reality replaced ours. Were we to touch, we are convinced one or both of those touching would cease to exist."

"You mean, if I touched you…." Linda was visibly shaken.

"Then either I or you or maybe both would no longer exist within this reality." Querl confirmed. "Or so we believe. It is only a theory. Yet nothing within our experience has shown that this theory is incorrect." He smiled wryly. "The only true way to prove a theory is to test it. And frankly I'm not willing to chance it. Are you?"

"No…no" In spite of herself, Linda backed away a step then stopped, her face a mass of confusion. "Wait a minute. That does not make sense. Kara is from the same reality as you and I can touch her…." She wound down at the look that crossed Querl's face. He reached for her, stopping just beofe he could grasp her arms.

"What are you saying?" He demanded. "Kara is dead. I watched her eulogy myself. Hell, I was there!"

"Well she's alive now." Linda was getting a bit perturbed. "Actually, her spirit, from what I understand, was transferred into a clone body. It seems a clone of her, created sometime before her death, went into a coma. The spirit fled, leaving only an empty shell…" She trailed off again when she noticed that Querl was not rally listening.

"This changes everything!" He said, staring at the ground. He looked back up at her. "We had no idea Kara lived again." Tentatively he reached out and touched her arm. Linda winced and waited for anything to happen. When nothing did, she relaxed.

"What does it change?" She demanded.

"You must promise me something." Querl was no longer listening. "You have got to get the girls to safety. You have to get them to Kara."

"I don't understand." Linda didn't bother to say that she was getting tired of not understanding. She was sure her tone of voice had conveyed that. "What do you mean by girls."

"I know you don't. And for that I apologize. If I could I would explain it all to your satisfaction but there is no time." At that instant an eerie wailing sound seemed to spring from the very walls. "The alarm. The castle knows we are here and is summoning Mordru's guardians." He grasped both of Linda's arms with his hands. "I will keep them busy, you must get the girls and leave. They are the daughters Kara and I might have had. Did have, in a manner of speaking, in other realities. You must get them to Kara!"

"Your daughters?" Linda was aghast. She had more questions, but already Querl was running up the hall way the way they had come.

"You must hurry!" He called back over his shoulder just as he turned a corner and was lost to sight.

"Daughters!" Linda stared up the now empty hallway for a moment before turning her attention back to the door in front of her. "Whatever is going on, one thin I do know. There's more than one girl in there and I've got to get them out." She placed her hands on the stone door and pushed. Nothing. She looked around the edges of the door, looking for a crack or anything she could see through. If she could get a picture of the other side, she could just shunt in and grab the girls. Again nothing.

"This is getting ridiculous!' She groused. Standing back, she unleashed her TK at the door, hoping and praying that there was no one on the other side. Whther she had miscalculated the strength it would take to move the door or the door was weakend to begin with she didn't know. Instead of being blown backward into the room, the door crumbled, shattering into gravel and dust that flew and pinged of the stone walls of the hallway. "Well, at least it's open."

She stepped through the door…and grunted as two missles launched themselves from opposite corners of the room, one locking it's arms around her legs while the other tackled her upper body, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Okay you prick, where are ….."

"Why did you kidnap us, you bi…."

Both voices trailed off and Linda found herself flat on the ground, looking up at a matching set of green eyes.

"Watch your language!" She snapped, automatically. She then stifled a giggle, realizing the ridiculousness of that statement. The girls, spitting images of Kara, though, after seeing the older Querl, Linda could see some of his features in their faces as well, were looking at her in total confusion.

"Who are you supposed to be?" One asked, cautiously. At that instant, Linda realized that Dr. Strange had made a mistake. He had assumed that the clone would have taken up an identity that matched Kara's Linda Danver's Secret ID. Yet why would she? She had nothing to hide. So of course she would be herself. At most people would have commented on the remarkable resemblance she had to Kara. Instead of an older Linda Danvers, a Kara look alike would have been more appropriate.

"It's a long story, girls." Linda replied. The girls were holding her down, though neither looked as if they knew what they should do now. "Basically, I'm here to get you out of here." She let her features flow and the girls jumped back, startled. Fear and confusion was replaced by awe as Linda Danvers was replaced by Supergirl.

"You…You're Matrix!" The girl that had first spoken stammered.

Linda felt a shock go through her. It had been many years since anyone had called her that. Long before her merger with Linda Danvers, in fact. She thought quickly. These girls had known when Supergirl was Kara. They would not now, in all likelihood, accept that SHE was now Supergirl. But…

"I haven't been Matrix for a long time, girls." She told them in a soft voice. "It's not an easy thing to explain, but I promise I will try once we are out of here. But now I am Supergirl. The only Supergirl, in fact, this world has ever known."

One of the girls opened her mouth, most probably to argue, but Linda held up a hand.

"Not right now." She hurried forward and handed each of the girls one of the smaller yellow utility belts Querl had given her. Now she knew why he had given her two…not counting his own. "Put these on." She looked around. "Wait right here. I've got to go check on something."

She sped out the door, flying down the hall as fast as she was able. At the corner she stopped and stared, the blood draining from her face. There, amid the blood and gore of who knew how many nameless creatures, was the bleeding, broken body of Querl Dox.

She gasped as she saw the body move, the chest rising as he struggled to take in ragged breath after ragged breath.

"Querl!" She rushed to him, using her TK to fling the carcasses of the creatures away. She knelt beside him, pulling him up until he lay across her lap.

"I held them off." He coughed. He smiled and then grimaced as pain raged through his body. "I guess I was more than just a brain after all."

"Of course you were." Linda cried, her tears falling. It was an effort, but Querl managed to raise a hand to her face, brushing at the stream of tears.

"Don't cry." He wheezed. "You shouldn't cry, Kara." His hand dropped. "Take care of the girls. They were good kids in their own realities. Now they'll be lost. At least they'll have you as a mother." He closed his eyes and then opened them. "I love you, Kara."

"And I love you, Querl." Linda said, pitching her voice so that what Querl heard would be as close to Kara's voice as she could get. She cried as Querl slumped in her arms, his now sightless eyes staring into nothingness. He had thought she was Kara, and she had not had the heart to tell him otherwise.

"Kara loves you too." She whispered as she let him slide to the floor.

"Oh Yuch!" Linda stood and whirled to find both girls standing behind her.

"I thought I told you to wait for me." She began, trying to block their view. It was no use. One of the girls moved to the left while the other ducked to the right, slipping behind her to look down at the body of Querl Dox and the surrounding creatures.

She looked back up at Lind, confusion written all over her face.

"I think I have seen him before." She said, reaching down to brush her fingertips across the smooth, green cheek. "Was he a friend?"

With that, Linda realized that neither girl knew the truth. That Querl Dox was their father.

"He was a very close friend." She whispered. "Your mother can tell you about it when we get you home."

"Mother!" Both girls crowded around her. "Is she okay? Where…" they both trailed off, looking at each other with an even deeper confusion. Linda sighed, knowing what that meant.

"Let me guess." She said. "You two don't know each other, do you?" Both girls shook their heads. "Great. Okay. We'll sort all this out in a bit. Right now, let's get you out of here."

She felt a fresh wave of sadness as it occurred to her that Querl need not have diesd. Had he stayed with her, she could have opened the door, grabbed the girls, and shunted them all to safety. Well, she would waste no time getting the girls out.

"Take my hands." She told them, her tone suggesting that arguing would not be a good thing right then. Both girls stared wide eyed as Linda's cape flared up, vanishing as it transformed into a pair of giant, fiery wings. "Let's go."

"Wait a minute!" One of the girls pulled back. "What about the other one?"

Linda looked at the girl in confusion.

"Other one?"

"The other prisoner." The other girl piped up. Linda looked from one to the other. There! One of the girls was wearing a Kryptonian headband.

"Must have picked that up from her mother or pictures of Kara." She thought to herself. She certainly didn't get it from traditional Kryptonian sources. In Kara's Reality, only men wore the headbands. Though, from her understanding, a lot of the younger girls in Kandor were wearing them now, thanks to Kara.

"Before we go any further, what are your names?" Linda demanded.

"I'm Carrie." The girl with the headband replied. "She's Karen." Linda marked Carrie as the more overt of the two. Not that there was much difference.

"Okay. Carrie, tell me about this other one."

"We're not sure…" Carrie began

"But we think it's a boy." Karen finished. She did not even blush when Linda gave her a hard look.

"Well, I guess this is just not the time or the place to expect them to be overawed." Linda thought to herself. "They are frightened and angry. Not a good combination in a super powered Kryptonian."

"Com' on. We'll show you!" Carrie, obviously tired of waiting for Linda to make up her mind, bunched her legs and sprang down the corridor, Karen right behind her.

"Teenagers." Linda muttered in disgust as she leapt after them. She was, of course, ignoring the fact that she herself was barely out of her teens. At most, she could only be five to six years older than these girls.

"We're getting our asses beat here!" Rogue muttered as she picked herself up off the ground yet again. She shook her head, wincing at the pain that lanced through and seemed to settle right behind her eyes.

To her left, Mon El was sprawled on the ground, his eyes closed. From this angel she could not tell if he was breathing or not. One thing was certain. He was out of it.

To her right and some what behind, Dr. Strange had fallen to his knees. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and his left eye was swollen shut. Yet he still battle on. Even now a blast of light, springing from the Eye of Amogotto, leapt out to strike at the shield Mordru had conjured around himself.

Though obviously holding the upper hand at the moment, Mordru was not exactly unscathed. The rents and tears in his robes…the blood streaming from his lips and nose…and the livid bruises on his face all testified to the punishment he had taken at the hands of Mon, Rogue, and Strange. Yet still he smiled with the sure knowledge that the battle was already won and that he would be counted the victor.

"He's playing with us!" Rogue realized. "He could have beat us at any time. He's just playing!"

"Of course I am." Mordru's laughter rang out as the blast of light from the Eye of Amogotto splattered and shattered over his shield. He glanced at Strange with a look of grudging respect. "You have given me a battle like very few have ever given me." He admitted. "However, it is time to end this. A pity you did not flee like your so-called angel."

"Why?" Strange rasped, his voice strained. He did not bother explaining his question. Mordru would understand. And he did. Strange hoped that all he had learned about this villain was true. One of his biggest faults, he had learned, was his ego. Mordru would not be able to resist boasting. That would give Linda a bit more time.

"Revenge. In part." The wizard stated. He stalked closer until he stood over the kneeling Dr. Strange. "You should not have involved yourself. This is not your reality. But know you will watch as I once again regain control of my domain."

"What do you mean…your domain?" Rogue gasped.

"Why, this reality, my dear." Mordru now stood over her. "You see, I had it in my grasp, I was a mere thought away from realizing my destiny…when the Anti-Monitor arrived and laid waste to my ambitions. Then again I was close to achieving my ultimate glory…then that blasted Parallax ruined everything."

"Excuse for everything, huh?" Rouge muttered. "Frankly, I think you just screwed up again and again. This time won't be any different."

"Oh but it will be different, my dear." Mordru reached down and twined his fingers in Rogue's hair, jerking her head up and back. She did not even try to stop him. His magick had rendered her virtually powerless against him. "You see, I have discovered a way to reverse everything. All that is required is the blood of four kryptonians and one earth woman and the power of Alexander Luthor!"

Mordru laughed as if he had made an hilarious jest and released his hold on her hair.

"But then, that is something the three of you would not understand, is it?" Mordru continued. "It really is a pity that you decided to interfere in a matter that was not your concern. It is of little matter. You can go to your graves knowing that your deaths were meaningless, that you always were powerless against the might of Mordru!"

"Perhaps you should reconsider that last part, Mordru!"

Mordru turned his head at the unexpected voice and Rogue looked up.

Ranged in a semi-circle around them were several variously clothed individuals. Rogue gasped when she recognized one, dressed in red and blue.

She glanced down at the motionless Mon El and then back up at the stern faced new comers.

The one in the red and blue costume that was a match for the one Mon usually wore was obviously an older version of the Mon El she had come to know. From the descriptions Kara had given her, Rogue concluded that these people were known other than the Legion of Super-Heroes. Not the ones that currently exited in the 30th century of Linda's reality, but rather the Legion that had existed in Kara's reality. This was not a Legion of teens, but rather a Legion of adults that had long ago learned how to work effortlessly as a team.

"YOU!" Mordru hissed. "It's not possible! You don't exist!"

"For some one that doesn't exist, you are looking quite fine, my love." A red haired main, wearing a red and blue suit with Lightning insignia quipped to the tall blonde beside him. She wore a skimpy red outfit that would have gotten her arrested for indecent exposure in many towns in the southern US of Rogue's home Earth.

The Blonde started to smile and then jerked her head towards Rogue.

"Garth, take him out. Quickly." She said. She herself hurried towards Rogue.

"You heard the woman." The one called Garth called out. "Hit him!"

Rogue could only gape in astonishment at the massive fire power that erupted from the assembled group…all focused on Mordru.

"That's not going to stop him!" Rogue whispered as the blond come up to her.

"They know it." The woman answered. "But it will keep him occupied long enough for us to come up with something better." She looked over at Dr. Strnage and then knelt down by Mon, feeling for a pulse. When she looked back towards Rogue, her face was bleak. "He's alive, but just barely and probably not for long." She shook her head. "What could possibly have possessed you to make you believe the three of you alone could take on Mordru and defeat him.?"

"Our objective was not to defeat him." Strange spoke up. "Merely distract him."

"Well in that, you possibly succeeded." The woman nodded. "I am Imra Ranzz, though most call…called me Saturn Girl." She glanced back at the others. The various energy blasts were starting to fall off and the more physical members of the group were preparing to launch their attacks.

"How…" Rogue cleared her throat. "Please tell my you aren't a bunch of ghosts."

"I wish I could, but unfortunately, I'm not sure it would be the truth." Imra smiled sadly. "Brainy explained it all before he took off to help your friend…"

"Linda!" Rouge reached out and grasped the woman's arm.

"She's had help." The woman assured her. "By now she is either at her destination, doing her part, or she has failed." She shook her head. "Either way, we can't take the time to worry about her right now. You must listen to me." Though she spoke to Rogue, her eyes took in Dr. Strange as well.

"Mordru has some how altered the time stream." She stated. "We are not sure but we think it some other energy force has weakened the fabric of time and space, giving Mordru access to alternate realities. Though we are certain that he has no idea that he is affecting those realities." She paused, taking a deep breath. "We don't know if it was something he has done or this other energy force, but it seems that we, the Legion of Super Heroes, have been given a second lease on life. We know we should not exist, that our reality has been replaced by another. Yet here we are."

"The Shard!" Rogue looked over to see Dr. Strange nodding.

"It makes sense." He said. "This place is a buffer area between Linda's reality and the Otherverse." He looked up at Imra. "I would suggest, if you wish to continue to exist, that you and your friends find your way to the Otherverse side of this buffer."

"Do you think Mordru knows?" Rogue asked.

"Doubtful." Strange shook his head as he wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Most likely, he believes he has created a dimensional bubble sitting just outside the 30th century in Linda's reality." His gaze grew thoughtful. "Yet he is aware of the existence of alternate realities and he is aware of events that have occurred in Linda's Reality that he should not be aware of." He looked at Imra. "He has abducted two girls from the reality that preceded Linda's." He explained.

"I'm not sure I follow you, but Querl….Brainiac 5, that is…said something similar." She indicated Rogue. "Why the Supergirl, costume?" She asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "Things have been screwed around. Some of us seem to have two sets of memories. In one set, Supergirl was a member of the Legion. A 20th century Kryptonian name Kara Zor-El. In the other set, she never existed and a Daxamite named Laurel Gand was a member in her place." She indicated Rogue again. "That costume is the one worn by Kara."

"A long story." Strange jumped in before Rogue could answer. "It was a little ploy on my part. An attention grabber, if you will. Something to get and hold Mordru's attention long enough for us to engage him and keep him busy."

"And it worked." Rogue groused, sliding over to Mon. She rolled him over on his back and lifted his head in her lap. "Too well."

"Mordru has always had a hatred of Mon and Superboy." Imra said, her voice soft. "and here he had one in the costume of the other. It is a wonder he still lives at all."

"I hate to break this up." Rogue looked up to see the older Mon approach. By now the battle between Mordru and the other Legionnaires had moved off some distance. This Mon, she noticed, was grimacing with pain.

"The poisoning?" Imra asked, quietly, putting a hand on his arm.

"The serum is failing again." Was the response. He nodded towards his younger self. "How is he?"

"He's dying." Rouge whispered. She squeezed her eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. How could she tell Jenny? Jenny had kept her distance from Mon, simply because of his age, yet even she could not deny the attraction she felt and that he obviously returned.

"Then that makes two of us." The older Mon said. He smiled sadly when Rogue looked up him, puzzled. "The serum Brainiac developed to counteract my lead poisoning is not working anymore. It's keeping me from keeling over dead on the spot, but it is not stopping the effects altogether. Sooner or later I will die."

"Most interesting." Everyone looked over at Dr. Strange who was alternating between looking at the Mon lying on the ground and the older Mon. Finally his gaze settled on the elder. "You realize, of course that you cannot exist."

"What?" Mon looked from Imra to Rogue and back to Strange. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, the rest can exist. But you. You are different. You cannot exist because this young man here IS you. Had the time stream been uninterrupted, he would have spent a thousand years in the Phantom Zone until your Brainiac 5 could release him and treat him with a serum. That, of course, did not happen. Instead, he was released in my probability and cured completely of his lead poisoning." He pointed a finger straight at Mon. "Therefore, you cannot exist. Yet here you are. Most interesting."

Mon looked at stronge for a long moment then looked back down at his younger self. Then he shook his head.

"Whatever you say." He muttered. He turned to Imra. "They can't keep him occupied much longer." He told her. Rogue, looking towards the battle, saw that he was right. Already several legionnaires lay sprawled, hurt or stunned from magical bolts cast by Mordru. The energy blasts, which were now far fewer, were beginning to wane even more. The fact that Mordru looked as weary as she herself felt did nothing to lift Rogue's spirit.

They had to do something and they had to do it fast!

"Right under our noses all along!" Kara snarled. She, along with Jenny, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm stood amid the blasted, melted remains of the Cadamus Project.

It had only been a few days earlier that a low yield nuke had detonated over the surface of the project.. She had not been able to stop the detonation. Hell, she had not even detected the missile launch until it was too late. She and the others had rushed to the area to see what aid they could to the survivors.

It had been a small device. Luckily for the near by city, it had been a shaped charge. The blast had gone down into the earth, slagging a good portion of the project but leaving a majority of the nearer buildings and dwellings pretty much intact. Unfortunately, even a shaped charge is going to release radiation. And a shape charge, basically a ground burst, would throw much more radiated dirt and debris into the air. Though most people did not realize it, an air burst would not result in the classic dirty black mushroom cloud that was usually associated with a nuclear blast. That mushroom was caused by a ground burst sending tons of ash and dirt flying into the sky, to rain down miles distant, spreading death as the wind blows.

When Kara and Rogue and Jenny had arrived on the scene, the mushroom was well developed. Together, the three had contained the debris.

With Jenny using her lantern energy to form a funnel, Kara and Rogue had used their speed to create a vortex…sucking the deadly fallout away from the surface and into low earth orbit. Right at the edge of the atmosphere.

They had not stopped there. Kara and Rogue had spun, zipping round and round until they had formed the debris into a giant sphere which Jenny then fused with her energy. Then, as Rogue and Jenny headed back down to start looking for survivors, Kara had given the ball a massive heave, sending it on a trajectory that would, in time, bring it into contact with the sun.

By the time Kara had rejoined her friends at ground zero, rescue efforts were well under way.

"Kara!" She looked down to see Jenny waving an arm near an outcropping in the rubble. Checking her speed, she veered in and landed lightly next to the green giantess.

"What've you got?" She asked, looking around.

"A bit of a mystery. Take a look."

Jenny led her to a bunker, it's blast doors bulged and ruptured.

"Who ever or what ever was in here wanted out…real bad." She commented. Kara looked at her, sharply. Then studied the doors.

"Yes." She nodded. "These doors were crashed from the inside." Bending down, she whistled softly. There, pressed into the now hardened ground were footprints leading away from the bunker. "And whoever it was walked across this ground while it was still hot!" She stood and looked around. Finally she shook her head.

"We don't have the time to investigate this right now. We have to see what we can do to help the survivors and the people around that may be suffering from rad poisoning." She looked back down at the prints. "Maybe later…" She trailed off. She and Jenny had then moved quickly to join Rogue in the rescue efforts.

Shaking her head, Kara brought herself back to the present. Here she was above the melted ruins of the Cadamus Project again. With all that had been going on, she had completely forgotten about the strange footprints. Now all that flooded back. And still there was no time to investigate. Dealing with the Shard had to come first.

She lifted the device Sue had hung over her neck and checked the reaout.

"According to this thing, we are standing directly over the Shard!" She had meant it to come out as a statement. Instead, it was almost a whisper.

"Great." Johhny kicked at a piece of rubble, and then cursed, hopping around, one hand wrapped around the toe of his boot.

"It's all fused together." Jenny commented, looking around. She shook her head. "This has to be Dr. Doom's work. He has the intelligence to create a nuke small enough to do this much damage and still leave a majority of a nearby city standing."

"You think he was after Lex Luthor?" Kara asked. "I had the feeling there had been a falling out between those two." Jenny shrugged.

"If he was, and Lex was here, then that's one problem we don't have to deal with anymore." She said.

"Don't count on it." Kara replied, somewhat absently. "I knew Lex, and if this one was anything like the one I knew, then he was no where near here. Lex tries to keep one step ahead of those that might be after him…and usually succeeds."

"So how do we get at this Shard thingy?" Ben Grimm brought them all back to the task at hand. "We sure ain't going to find an elevator!"

"That's no problem." Johnny quipped. "Kara'll just dig a tunnel."

"Actually," Kara gave Johnny a look. "I was thinking of a much easier way." She stepped aside and motioned to Jenny. "If you would, please."

"Sure thing!" Jenny smiled. "Step aside and let mean, green, and beautiful handle this."

Jenny raised her hands and let the energy flow. She didn't bother with any elaborate image or form. Instead, she formed two columns of light. One punching inward at the ground, the other sucking up and depositing the resulting loose dirt elsewhere.

Johnny and Ben watched with undisguised awe at the mound of dirt that rapidly grew as the columns of energy sank further into the ground.

"Reed Richards, what are you up to now?"

Sue stood in the open hatchway to the lab Reed had furnished aboard the space station. The station, floating in the L4 position above the Otherverse Earth had originally been their intended base of operations. Events from the very beginning had nullified those plans. Yet this is where Sue now found Reed, flipping through screen after screen of data on the computer system he had installed. Occasionally he would stop and turn to another terminal to type in some notes or a few calculations.

In another part of the Lab, Sue could see that Reed had put Sherrie to work. She was just as busy at her own terminal, categorizing data for later use.

"I had a bad feeling about the Shard." Reed answered, almost as an after thought. "I wanted to come here and check it out." He raised his hand and jerked a thumb towards Sherrie. "And I wanted to get Sherrie busy at something." He lowered he voice. "This is getting hard on her. She is more than half convinced that if we destroy the shard, we will destroy her world."

"And will we?" Sue asked, concern in her own eyes. Reed sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"At first we were convinced that it would not. Now I am not so sure."

"Reed, we can't let that happen."

"It's worse than that, I'm afraid." He turned the monitor towards her and tapped a few keys. "This is an illustraion of what could happen. Watch!"

The screen blanked and then lightned to show a few of the Earth from orbit. Slowly at first, a green glow seemed to imminate from a point on the North American Conitnent until it had spread out over the entire globe. It didn't stop there, however. The next view was a computer model showing the fragil walls of reality that separated the various Probabilities. As the green glow spread over the globe in one reality, the walls took on a greenish tinge ans very quickly began to disentigrate. With the walls gone, the Different Probabilities seemed to rush in, all trying to occupy the same space and time at the same instant. The result was predictable. The screened darkened after Sue saw what must have been a vision of what had occurred billions of years in the past during what scientist called the Big Bang!

"That's it." Reed sighed. "We destroy the Shard, and everything, not just the Otherverse, ceases to exist. Reality…all realities, will converge and finally explode outwards. Everything will be destroyed and from that, a new reality will be born." He tossed a pin down beside his key board and rubbed his eyes. "And life may start again…in a few billion years after new stars and new planets are formed."

"My god Reed." Sue clutched his arm. "Kara and the others are on their way to destroy it. They don't know! They may have even found it by now!"

"They have." Reed replied. "Those devices I made also have homing signals built in. They have been stationairy for some time now. An indication that they have found the Shard."

"Then why are you just setting here?"

Both Sue and Reed turned to see Sherrie glowering at them.

"What's the use?" Reed spoke after a moment. "It's die quick or die slow. Personally, I would rather go quickly."

"REED!" Sue was looking at her husband, aghast. Her eyes then narrowed and her hands flew to her temples. Using her unique abilities, she quickly erected a force field around the entire station. Almost instantly, Reed was shaking his head, as if clearing it of cobwebs. He looked at Sue, understanding dawning.

"The Shard." It was not a question. He turned to Sherrie. "You are quite right. We need to get ahold of the team and let them know what's going on." Putting words into actioin, Reed raced for the door. In the hallway outside, his legs stretched out, allowing him to cover yards with each stride. Behind him, Sherrie and Sue followed at a run. Neither Sue nor Reed seemed to notice the strange helmet Sherrie carried under one arm.

"Ben! Are you there Ben?" Upon reaching the door way to the communications room, Reed's arms and neck had stretched out, tapping in the needed commands to establish a link with Ben Grimm on the planet surface before the rest of his body caught up.

""Here, Stretcho." The curt reply sprang out of the room's speaker. "Make it quick…we're kinda busy down here."

End of _**A World Without Heroes**__** - Chapter Ten.**_

_**Click here to go to Chapter 11**_


	11. Chapter 11

_A World Without Heroes_

In a world without heroes

There's nothing to be

It's no place for me

-_Music From the Elder_

_KISS_

Chapter 11

"Got it!" Ben had to almost yell to hear his own voice. He flipped the communicator shut and slipped it on his belt. He always felt that he should say something like "Kirk out." The communicators could easily have passed for the type they had used in the early Star Trek shows.

At the moment, both he and Johnny were huddling behind the huge mound of dirt and boulders that had been excavated by Jenny's Lantern energy.

Johnny, living up to his nickname of The Human Torch, was blazing brightly as he peered around the mound. Like Ben, he did not like hiding, but what was going out there was much more than either he or Ben could handle.

Jenny, her feet planted firmly, stood with out stretched arms, her face dripping with sweat. Kara had her arms wrapped around Jenny's middle, adding the support of her strength.

"I'm losing it!" Jenny yelled to be heard over the crash and thunder. Before her, the twin columns of energy were twisting and turning, as if some outside force were trying to wrestle control of them from Jenny. Which was exactly what was happening.

"You've got to hold it, Jen!" Kara yelled back. Though the physical effort could not be getting to her, she was obviously under strain herself. "Don't let the Shard get control or we've had it!"

Gritting her teeth, Jenny focused her thoughts, forcing the energy to do her bidding by the strength of her will alone. After a moment, the twisting began again.

"Shit!" Jenny cursed and, snarling in defiance, shut the energy down altogether. Instantly the columns of energy dissipated. She sagged in Kara's arms and allowed herself to be gently lowered to the ground.

"I finally got a good grasp." She said. "It tried to gain control again, but this time I had enough control to shut it down." She shook her head and looked up at Kara. "We're going to have to do this the hard way. There's no way we can risk using my energy again. And the closer we get, the harder it's going to be."

"Which means we have to get to it quickly and destroy the damned thing!" Kara stated.

"Kara!" She looked up as Ben and Johnny came running from behind the mound. It was Ben that had called out.

"I just talked to Reed." He went on, as he and Johnny got closer. "He says we can't destroy the Shard. If we do, we destroy everything!"

"What?" She frowned at Ben, suspicion obvious in her eyes. "What do you mean, not destroy it? And how the hell would he know?"

"Look lady," Ben had a look on his face that said Kara was being just a bit too bossy for his tastes. "Reed may be a geek at times, but he knows his stuff. He says the Shard almost stopped him from telling us…but Sue put a force field around the Station that cut off the Shard's influence."

Kara was thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded. It made sense. Thinking it through, it made sense. As did something else as well.

She thought back to all that had happened since she and the others had come to Otherverse. She had never been so close to a break down. Never had she felt such depression…a sense of loss and hopelessness.

"Jenny. Reed may be right." She said after a moment.

"Did I say I doubted it?" Jenny attempted a smile but fell far short. "What are you thinking?"

"We came into this with the understanding that the Shard was a twisted piece of the Great Battery. I don't think that is the case at all."

"You've lost me, lady." Ben groused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"How could a piece of a device constructed by beings with almost godlike power to be a force for good turn to evil? It couldn't. Despite it's power, the Battery was never truly sentient. Therefore, it could be neither evil nor good. It was how it was to be used by PEOPLE that made it a force for good. "

"So?"

"So what we have here is a piece of a machine with a strong sense of preservation, yet at the same time, a strong desire for oblivion."

"You're not making sense, Kara." Jenny shook her head. "If the Lantern was not sentient, then how could a piece of it have any senses at all?"

"Feedback." Kara answered instantly. "Hal Jordon drained the Battery, pulling the energy into himself. He then used that energy to destroy the Battery. Feedback. What energy is bleeding off the Shard is energy that was filtered through Jordon at that time. And what was he feeling? Betrayed. Loss. Hopelessness!"

Johnny and Ben turned to look at Jenny with growing alarm.

"Oh, no need to worry about her." Kara saw their looks and understood what they were thinking. "The energy he gave her had been filtered over a long period of time. If anything, Jenny would be feeling a need to help…to atone. But she isn't the Shard. She IS an intelligent being. The energy is subservient to her will. Such is not the case with the Shard." She reached out a hand to Ben. "Give me your communicator…I've got to talk to Reed."

"This is where you were being held?" It was a small room. Barely large enough to hold the two massive marble tables upon which the girls had been confined. Though she could not put her finger on just how she knew, Linda had the feeling that the girls had been bound by nothing other than magic. Those bonds had probably weakened when Mordru's attention became focused on Dr. Strange and the others.

She stooped down and hefted a large section of a tabletop, examining it closely, her eyes narrowing.

Though broken and shattered, enough large pieces remained that she could make out some details. Details like the grooves carved in to the surface. Grooves, Linda knew, that were meant to channel blood.

"This was a sacrificial altar!" She announced, not even trying to hide the disgust in her voice. She shuddered, hoping that neither of the girls had psionic talents. While she had never displayed any talents in regards to psychometry, the ability to pick up psychic impressions from non-living objects, the images of death and torture suffered by countless victims on these altars threatened to overwhelm her.

She tossed the hunk of table down with enough force to shatter it into even smaller pieces.

"Okay," She turned to the girls. "I don't have your super hearing." She stepped away from the piles of rubble that had been sacrificial altars and then, with a grimace, looked back, it took no more than a generous amount of applied TK pressure and the piles were flattened even further, leaving nothing but gravel and bellowing clouds of dust.

"As I was saying." She turned was again to the girls, striving to keep her voice calm. "I don't have your hearing so I need you to tell me exactly what you heard."

The girls exchanged uneasy glances.

"You don't have super hearing?" Carrie, the bolder of the two asked, almost hesitantly.

"No." Linda answered. She realized it had come out sharper than she had intended. "No, I don't." She spoke in an easier tone. "It's a long story, but right now, we don't have the time to go into it. I've got to get you out of here, but first we have to see if there are any others."

"Right through there." It was Karen that spoke now. She was pointing through the doorway, to the wall on the opposite side of the room in which she and Carrie had been held. "We heard a boy's voice and sometimes we thought maybe a woman's as well."

"The walls must be lined with lead cuz we couldn't see through them." Carrie added.

"Because, not cuz." Linda corrected absently. She turned and studied the wall. She knew what was bothering the girls. They saw her as Supergirl…but were expecting her to exhibit powers they associated with the Supergirl they had known. "Well, lets see if we can find a way to get to that room on the other side."

"Why not just go through?" Carrie demanded. Without waiting for Linda to answer, she flew into the room, landing by the wall. She drew back one fist and slammed it into the wall. Mortar crumbled, revealing a badly dented lead lining. Carrie drew back again.

"Carrie! NO!" Linda started towards the girl, knowing she would be too late. The girl's arm came back and shot forward, crashing through the lead wall.

Carrie screamed, in obvious agony as the hellish green light flowed from the break in the lead lining, washing over her. Green Kryptonite.

Linda felt the dizziness wash over her as she snatched the girl away from the deadly mineral, sending her flying towards Karen.

"Both of you keep back!" She yelled as she herself backed away. She faced the wall and…felt herself being lifted in a pair of strong arms.

"Lara?" Linda blinked her eyes. Never before had she faced such concentrated amounts of Green Kryptonite. It didn't make sense. She shouldn't even be affected by Kryptonite that could affect the girls.

"Magic, Linda." A strong, feminine voice whispered. "This kryptonite was developed by Mordru long ago. It's neither of their reality nor of yours. But it would eventually kill even you."

Linda was carried from the room and set her on unsteady feet. She turned shakily to see a tall, dark haired woman kneeling beside the unconscious Carrie. The woman placed a hand on the girl's temple and nodded.

"She'll be okay." She told a wide-eyed Karen. Even as she spoke Carrie was beginning to stir, moaning as she sat up and opened her eyes.

"That was dumb, wasn't it?" She asked sheepishly, looking over at Linda.

"Yes. Yes it was." Linda did not try to sugarcoat it. "You should never have tried to punch through something you couldn't see through. You had no idea what was on the other side? What if it had been an unpowered human leaning against the wall with his or her head where your fist went through?"

"Enough, Linda." The strange woman's firm voice was filled with confidence and pride. "She's young, She will learn." She smiled at both girls. "You won't believe the good these girls will do, Linda." She touched Carrie's cheek. "This one will be the Supergirl for a world that is yet to be, Linda." Next she touched Karen. "And this one. This one will be called Powergirl."

While the girls looked at the woman in wonder, Linda pulled her to the side. Using her Tk, she put a shield of buffered air around them that not even the girls' super hearing could hear through.

"What's going on?" She demanded. "And who are you? You sure aren't Lara Night!" Looking closely, she could see the woman was dressed in a strange dark robe with unfamiliar gold markings. Markings that reminded her of something she had seen before…something Superman had shown her! "You're a Kryptonian!"

"Linda." The woman smiled and put a hand on Linda's shoulder. It was an act that reminded Linda of a motherly figure comforting a smaller child "You are right. I am not Lara Night. Lara Night's part in the history of this world is over. Indeed, she has already gone else where….to places beyond even my ability to see. You may call me Lorra!"

"Lorra?" Linda's mind went into high gear as artifacts Kal-El had shown her and stories he had told her surfaced. "The Kryptonian Goddess of the Moon! The Love Goddess. But…"

"But I don't exist." Lorra smiled. "It has been many centuries since a child of mine lit a candle in my honor, yet I have not forgotten them. And the time comes when I will be remembered! And as more than just the Goddess of Love. My children have forgotten much over the years!"

"But…" Linda glanced over at the girls. "You are here for them, aren't you?"

"In part." Lorra inclined her head slightly. "Though there is more here than you can possibly know and understand. And there is much I cannot tell you."

"But you just told the girls…." Linda started. She stopped, staring at the girls. They were both staring straight ahead, looking at the space Lorra had occupied before she had pulled her away.

"They won't remember seeing me." Lorra explained. "Not yet, at any rate. But the time will come when they remember. When all the Kryptonains of The Continuum that will be shall remember me! And these two shall talk about it. They will even remember that it was I that first called them by the names they will willingly take for themselves. But for now that memory must not be allowed and you must not mention that you have seen me. When the time comes, I shall reveal myself. But not before!"

Standing there, Linda could only gape in awe as the woman took on a regal glow. She could see the fierce gleam in the woman's eyes and knew, with out a doubt, that Lorra was not one to be trifled with.

"It is not time." Lorra concluded. "Now you must hurry. You must get these and the others away quickly."

Linda looked at her for a long moment then nodded.

"Right." She turned, releasing the TK barrier. At the same instant both girls seemed to sag, as if they had been released from a trance. "So what do we do?"

"We go through the wall." Lorra announced, to Linda's surprise. Lorra glared at the wall and the two girls gasped as lightning seemed to spark from her eyes.

"Stand back." She warned. "Linda, be ready to incinerate anything that gets past me!"

"Right." Linda felt somewhat at a loss. With little effort, she focused her power, her cape transforming into bright fiery wings

Lorra nodded in satisfaction and then turned her attention back to the wall.

"Here we go!" She warned. Linda gasped at the tremendous amount of finely focused electrical power that shot forth from Lorra, playing over the entire wall. Huge chunks of mortar, lead, and kryptonite were vaporized; smaller pieces were flung around the room. These were subjected to the wrath of Linda as her fires swept the room, searing everything into harmless ash.

In a matter of seconds, a new doorway had been blasted and melted through the wall.

"Linda!" Lorra called. "The edges! Melt a cover over the edges!"

Focusing her power, Linda did as instructed. She was somewhat startled when twin beams joined with her fire to create a molten cover to cut off the kryptonite. She turned to see both Carrie and Karen using their heat vision to help her out.

"Thanks, girls." She said when they finished. "That was very good."

"I've…." Both girls started…they stopped and looked at each other, smiling tentatively. 'We've had practice at using heat vision. It was one thing mom said we had to get right so that we would not endanger others with it."

"Your mother was a wise woman." Linda said before thinking.

"Was?" Carrie's face fell yet Karen's held a look of resignation.

"She's dead, isn't she?" She asked.

"Yes and no." Linda tried to be as honest as she could.

"And you're not really Supergirl, are you?" Carrie demanded.

"I am. Just not the one you remember." She looked through the hole in the wall. Lorra had already stepped through. "Look, we'll have time to talk soon. But first, we have to get this over with and get out of here. Just trust me until then, okay?"

Both girls looked at each other and then nodded, Carrie a bit slower than Karen.

"Good, now let's go see what Lo…let's go see what's on the other side." She stepped through and had to stuff the palm of her hand in her mouth to keep from screaming. Instantly she blocked the hole, keeping the girls from entering. "Oh dear god!' She choked.

This room, like the one where the girls had been held, contained the same type of altar/tables. This room, however, was larger, holding four of the vile things. And each was occupied. From where she was, she could easily see that one of the tables held a middle-aged woman while the other three held men. Or rather, two men and a boy of sixteen or seventeen. What had shocked her at first were the costumes one of the men and the boy wore. They were slightly different versions of the costume Superman wore!

Looking closer, she had to stifle a reflex to gag. The man was graying at the temples but nonetheless looked like her Superman. His throat had been slit. The table had been tilted to allow the blood to drain into the channels carved into the table and from there into a bowl suspended under a funnel. She could not place the other man, though he looked strangely familiar. Like the man in the superman costume, his throat had been cut.

As far as she could see, there were no wounds on either the boy or the woman.

"Who…?"

"Like Carrie and Karen, they came from realities that pre date yours, Linda." Lorra explained. She indicated the red haired man that looked so familiar. "His name was Alexander Luthor. It was his power that made it possible for the heroes to finally defeat the Anti-monitor. And he…he was the Superman of one of those realities that ceased to exist after the anti-monitor was defeated."

"My god!' Linda exclaimed, getting a good look at the woman. "That's Lois Lane!"

"She was Superman's wife." Lorra nodded. "In the end, tired and unable to continue in a world that seemed so familiar yet so different, she and Superman had traveled with Alexander to live out the remainder of their days in a more peaceful place. They never reached that place. Mordru got to them first." Linda again looked at Lorra. It was not hard to see the signs of an anger that wanted nothing more than free reign to destroy!

"And the boy?"

"Superboy. Also from a reality that ceased to exist when the realities merged during that time of crisis." Lorra explained. "He elected to travel with the others. And, with them, ended up here."

Lightning crackled, causing a thunder blast that threatened to deafen Linda. When the smoke cleared, she saw that all four tables had been pulverized beneath their inhabitants. The inhabitants now floated in the air. Lorra gently lowered the bodies of Superman and Alexander to the floor and swept the other two through the hole into the waiting arms of Karen and Carrie.

"It's time to go." She announced.

"But the bodies!' Linda protested. "And Querl…."

"The bodies are just that, Linda." Lorra told her. "Mere husks. Their spirits are long since departed. As for Querl, don't worry, he will live again, thanks to you."

"What? I don't understand."

"By saving those two girls, you have insured the future of Otherverse and the Continuum that Shall Be! You have also firmly planted a reality in which much of what once was can be again." Lorra said. "That is as much as I can tell you. With this exception. What you have done here is equally as important as what Kara El and Jennifer Walters are doing now. If you were to fail here, or they fail there, then all would be lost."

"Kara?" Linda felt chills travel up her spine. For Kara to fail would mean Kara was dead! And then her mind caught on the name. "Kara…El?"

"Not yet, perhaps." Lorra smiled. "But Kara was ever the strong willed one." Then her smile faded. "But that is not your worry." Lorra took her arm and almost shoved her through the hole. But we must hurry. You and the others must return and be there for the final act. You, in particular must be present."

"Why?" Linda demanded.

"You have something Kara and Jenny are going to need." Lorra smiled and refused to say more. "Now, let's get out of here. We'll go through the halls and out the way you came. I'll take the lead, you bring up the rear, keeping the girls between us."

"Right."

As she had followed Querl into the depths of this forsaken castle, now she followed the Kryptonian Goddess back to the surface

By the time they had reached the surface, both Superboy and Lois were starting to show signs of regaining consciousness. Once those first signs appeared, Superboy's recovery was rapid. Not unexpected, considering his Kryptonian origins.

"What?" He opened his eyes, looking around wildly.

"Shhhhh. You're okay." Carrie whispered, lowering him to the ground.

He sat up, rubbing his face and looking around. For a long moment, his gaze rested on Carrie, he then took in the others. He did a double take when he got a good look at Karen, causing him to look back and forth between the girls. Then it registered on him exactly what Karen's burden was.

"Mrs. Kent!" He exclaimed. Though he wobbled a bit, he made it to his feet. Carrie stood near him, ready to catch him if he started to fall.

"She's okay, Superboy." He turned to the voice and stopped.

"Supergirl?" He looked around at the others, confusion obvious in his eyes. "But…"

"You know, this is getting real tiring." Linda frowned at him, purposely ignoring the smile Lorra was not even trying to hide. "No. I am not Kara." She explained. She started to say something else then stopped. Her eyes widening as she turned to Lorra.

"Reed Richards and the others were wrong!" she exclaimed. "Otherverse was not created by the Shard! It never was just a buffer zone!"

"No, it wasn't." Lorra agreed, though she didn't offer to explain further. She didn't have to. The mind that had made Linda Danvers a good detective now went into gear, putting together all the facts she had ignored since her first visit to Otherverse.

"He was, correct, when he said it was no more than fifteen years old." She mused. "But he had the cause of its creation wrong." She looked Lorra in the eyes.

"Otherverse, as you call it." Lorra confirmed, "was created the instant your reality was created, Linda." She made a gesture with her hand that took in their surroundings. "This place resides in that small non-space that exists between closely related realities. Between your reality and Otherverse. It was here, in this non-space, that the spirit of the Kara you have come to know wandered after her death. It was here that people found themselves when the multiple versions of your reality merged. Indeed, it was that merger that forced the creation of Otherverse. It was here that countless others found themselves after Parallax attempted to remake the Universe to his specifications." She paused and moved closer to Linda, taking her face in her hands and forcing her to look up at her.

"And though, through the generations it will be Kara and the others that are remembered for bringing life back to Otherverse, those generations will owe as much to you as they do her.

"Because of them?" Linda asked, glancing over towards Carrie and Karen. The girls were busy trying to explain what they could to Superboy and the now reviving Lois.

"Because of them." Lorra agreed. "And because you helped Kara hold onto her sanity, when even Rogue could not. Kara may have been the driving force of her time, but she could not have become that force had you not been there when she needed you." She stepped back. "Now, let's get beyond those walls. We have a long way to go and there is something I want to do first."

They gathered the others and took to the air, Superboy flying under his own power now with Karen still carrying Lois. Once over the walls and some distance away, Lorra stopped and turned.

Linda watched in awe as lightning sprang from her eyes. The Goddess spread her arms and lightning arced around her, from fingertip to fingertip and around again. Before long, the crackling energy was crashing like thunder as it traveled faster and faster around the circle until it seemed that Lorra had become the center of a swirling mass of energy. Then, without warning, the energy surged out, slashing back to the castle in one destructive bolt of pure energy.

The resulting devastation was complete. With one blast of power, power far more intense that Linda had ever seen unleashed, the castle had been reduced to a smoldering crater.

"Lorra!" Linda was shocked, staring at the crater. "There could have been people still in there."

"There undoubtedly was." Lorra nodded, her entire attitude showing her lack of concern.

"Oh God!" Linda stepped back.

"Linda, you may have saved Otherverse, but it is not, nor ever has been an idyllic place. It will always be a darker world than the one you are used to."

"You just killed…." Linda trailed off, unable to continue.

"Those in that castle were either creations of Mordru," Lorra waving her hand towards the crater. "or beings so vile they took service with him willingly." Her voice shook with anger. Linda watched as she controlled her anger. "We have no more time to discuss it. We must go. Everyone gather close."

Linda started to reach for Carrie's hand.

"No need to touch." Lorra said. "And now we go."

In an instant, only the sound of a fading thunderclap remained.

Mordru cursed as a pair of hands protruded from the ground behind him to grasp his ankles. He started to fall backwards and then, with a flash of light, he was thirty feet away, teleporting himself out of harms way.

White clad arms followed the hands as the dark haired girl rose from the ground.

Phase scowled at Mordru and then dove headfirst back into the ground, phasing through the solid rock.

Mordru lifted his hands and sent bolts of power streaming outward to strike the Legionnaires charging towards him.

Their numbers were fewer now. Behind them, the ground was littered with the dead and injured.

Jo Nah, the one known as Ultra, rolled on the ground, his hands holding his neck as he tried to breath through a crushed windpipe. He boasted all the powers of Mon El and Superboy, yet he was restricted to using only one power at a time. At a time when using his Super-strength instead of invulnerability, Mordru had struck.

Reep Daggle, The Chameleon, writhed in agony as magical energies swept through his body, disrupting the native born ability to change his shape, leaving him a shapeless blob.

Gym Allon, Colossus, lay motionless, his gigantic body rising like a new mountain on the featureless plain.

Shrinking Violet, Spark, Projectra, Cosmic Boy, and others had fallen already.

Lar Gand, helpless in the grip of his lead poisoning, huddled over the motionless body of Umbra, his lover.

Now those that remained, with the added strength of Rogue, tried one last attack.

"We can't hold out much longer." Imra Ranzz noted. She was weary, being supported by an equally drained Dr. Strange. Earlier on, she had tried again and again to attack Mordru psionically. All to no avail.

"I was too confident." Strange remarked, bitterness evident in his tone. He was not, however, one to dwell overlong on errors. Already he was contemplating different plans.

"Imra, see if you can pull Rogue out of that. I think I have a plan." He left Imra, once he was satisfied she could stand on her own, to make his way to where Lar Gand huddled in pain.

"We need your help." He stated, not unkindly. "I believe you and Rogue can trap him like you once did before.

"With what?" Lar looked up. "When Kal and I trapped him, we had already fashioned the two halves of a shell. They were made double steel walls with earth between the walls. When we trapped him, Jo used his heat vision to weld them together. And in case you haven't noticed, Jo is dead. Your Mon is dying and I can't do it alone."

"You won't have to."

Both men turned, as did everyone else, at the thunderclap that signaled the arrival of Supergirl!

"Mordru!" Linda called, dragging his attention to them.

"No!" Mordru's face twisted with rage. With a single burst of energy, he sent those already attacking him flaying or rolling away from him. Rogue, alone, withstood the blast and, gritting her teeth, prepared to plunge in again, ignoring Imra's command that she withdraw.

"Rogue, your heat vision." Linda snapped, hoping she would take the hint and stay out of the lie of fire. She did. Swerving, she completed an arc until she was ranged along side the Earth Born Angel.

Instantly two bolts of hell poured from the Rogue and Linda, engulfing the mage. Not to be left out, Dr. Strange once again lifted the Eye of Amagotto, adding a destructive beam of light to the fray.

In the center of the maelstrom that had washed over him, Mordru raised his hands and sent bolt after magical bolt of death hurling towards the women.

With a grunt of pain, Linda felt herself slammed to the ground, her world darkening. The darkness was brief, yet when she opened her eyes, she could see that only Rogue remained. Dr. Strange was out of it. From where she was, she could not tell if he still lived.

"This time you die, Kryptonian!" Mordru screamed. For the first time, he appeared truly angry.

"I don't think so." Rogue smiled and, to the astonishment of those still conscious, stopped her attack. "Good-bye, Mordru."

Taken off guard, Mordru lowered his hands. What was this woman up to? So centered was his attention on Rogue, the mage failed to noticed the three figures racing across the landscape towards him. One to his left and two to his right. So great was the speed of the figures that, in a mere instant, they had traveled the vast distance. Those watching were struck speechless as two girls, each carrying half of a hollowed out earthen sphere, came together, scooping up the mage as the two halves joined. The third figure, his blue and red form a blur, spun around the sphere, his heat vision welding the two halves together. Then, before anyone could take a breath, the girls heaved together, sending the sphere sailing up and out to sail through the void.

Mordru was gone!

The boy didn't stop moving. Instead, he flashed back along the route he had followed until he vanished from site. Within moments, he was once again returning. This time at a slower pace and carrying a fourth person.

Linda breathed a sigh of relief as she climbed to her feet. Lorra, with Carrie and Karen in tow, was already checking out Dr. Strange and Rogue. Making sure they were okay, she then turned her attention to Mon. His breathing shallow and ragged.

"Lar, come here." She called to the older version of the same person.

"What are you going to do?" Linda demanded.

"I'm going to help them." Lorra stated flatly.

Lar, his face contorted with pain brought on by the effort to move, shuffled closer to Lorra.

Lorra reached down and placed a hand on Mon's forehead and held out her other hand without saying a word. Lar took the hint and placed his hand in hers.

Instantly Mon convulsed, his back arching upward even as Lar dropped to his knees. Linda watched, horrified as both faded. She started to move forward stopping when a single figure started to materialize.

"I could have healed them both." Lorra was commenting. "Yet there would still be a paradox. I have corrected that."

Linda gasped as Mon lifted his head. Lorra had somehow, joined the two! This Mon was older than the Mon that had accompanied her Rogue, and Dr. Strange, yet younger than the Lar Gand that had stood there moments before. And there was no sign of the injuries Mon had suffered or of the Lead poisoning that had been killing Lar.

"What did you do?" Linda demanded.

"I corrected an impossibility." Lorra explained. "Obviously, these two could not co-exist. Nor could the younger Mon die. Had he died, the Older would have ceased to exist. Now they both continue. But there will be difficulties."

"I remember…" Mon's eyes were haunted as he looked around. Slowly he sank to his knees, his hands clutching his head.

"Lorra?" Linda started forward, only to be stopped by Lorra's outstretched arm.

"He is okay." She whispered. "But he has conflicting memories. He remembers spending a thousand years in the Phantom Zone, and yet he also remembers being saved from the Zone by Reed Richards. He feels the love he felt for Tasmia Mallor," She indicated the body of the blue skinned Umbra, "and yet he also feels the love that was beginning to grow for Jennifer Walters. They will, in time, work themselves out, but do not assume that this Mon El will be like the one you had known."

"I really hate to interrupt, but could some one tell me what is going on?" They both turned to see Superboy glowering at them, hands on his hips. Beside him, in almost the same pose, Carrie waited for an answer as well.

"Who ARE you people?" Superboy went on. "And who are all…" His voice trailed off as, before his eyes, each and every member of the Legion of Super Heroes, dead, dying, and uninjured, faded away.

"Lorra?" Linda looked around, confusion evident in her expression.

"They've gone back to their own place." Lorra explained. "That is the best way I can explain it. If Kara is successful, then their existence will be assured." She turned to Superboy. "You must go now. Linda and the others will explain but now you must return to your own time and place. The events, which allowed this in-between place to exist, have changed. As it fades, so will all in it. Without Mordru's power to sustain it, it will soon be gone.

Strange, nodding his agreement, even though Lorra had not addressed him, once again brandished the Eye of Amagotto, using it to form a glowing doorway.

"This will take us back to Otherverse." He said. He looked to Linda. "That is, unless you wish to be dropped off in your probability."

"No." Linda shook her head slightly, still looking at Lorra. "I have one more thing to do."

Ben Grimm eyed the hole nervously.

"Ever get the notion we're outta our league?" He asked Johnny. He turned to look over to where Kara and Jenny huddled over a comm. Unit, talking with Reed Richards.

"Not a chance." Johnny answered, though there was no real conviction in his voice. "We've gone up against Galactus. This is a cakewalk." Ben didn't bother to correct him. Sure, they had confronted Galactus. On more than one occasion. But each of those times had resulted in a concession by Galactus thanks to Reed. Had they relied totally on muscle and powers, Galactus would have had Earth for lunch…literally. Instead, they had relied on Reed's intelligence.

Though he liked both Kara and Jenny, he personally did not believe that either had the intelligence it would take to tackle such a task.

"Right!" Kara flipped the communicator shut and tossed to back to Ben as she and Jenny once again approached the hole. Kara had a determined look while Jenny's was not so self-assured. Kara must have seen that as well.

"Confidence, Jen." She whispered. "Remember, it's a matter of willpower."

"Willpower. Right." Jenny grimaced. "Have you ever seen me try to pass up a box of chocolates?" Kara laughed and put a hand on the giantess' arm. Standing almost 7 foot, Jenny towered over the shorter Kryptonian.

"What's the plan?" Johnny asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

"Simple. Watch!" Kara smiled and dove head first into the hole Jenny had started. Already the hole, a tunnel actually, stretched several hundred feet. It had traveled straight down for about a hundred before angling off.

"Scooch over!"

"What?" Kara veered, scraping against a wall of the tunnel as a green and yellow clad figure zoomed in to take a position at her side.

"I thought you could steer better than that." Rogue grinned. "So, what exactly are we doing?"

"Rogue!" Kara threw her arms around the other woman, sending them both tumbling. "Where've you been?" She demanded as they came to a stop on the tunnel floor.

"Miss me?" Rogue's eyes were full of mischief.

"You know I did." The response was quietly whispered and ended with Kara pulling Rogue close to press their lips together in a quick passionate kiss.

"Well, you're obviously feeling better." Rogue smiled as they parted. "But do you really think this is the time and place?"

"What? Oh!" Rogue laughed to see Kara actually blushing. "You're right."

Kara took a deep breath and went on.

"We've got to dig through about fifty more feet." She said. "And then we break into a lead lined chamber at the end." She paused and her attitude was serious now. "The Shard is in that chamber."

"Oh lord." Rogue gasped. "And what exactly are we going to do then?"

"That's where I take over." Both women turned to see Jenny hovering in the middle of the tunnel behind them. They had no idea how long she had been there, but the amused look on her face told them it had been long enough. "Why Rogue, did you know you blush almost the same color as your hair? Though not as bad as Kara."

"I'll get you, you green skinned…." Rogue trailed off, giggling, as Jenny wagged a giant, energy-spawned finger at her. She quickly got herself back together.

"Well, all we lack now is Mon." Kara stated, almost sarcastically.

"Mon is," Rogue hesitated, frowning for the first time. "recovering. He had a very trying time." Kara looked up and saw the worry in Jenny's eyes and knew that something had happened. Jenny would know since she had been up top, but she wasn't saying anything right now.

"Okay. Then I suggest we get this over with so he can recover in peace." Kara relaxed her hold on Rogue and once a gain sprang forward. This time Rogue joined her as she sped forward. "We've reached the end. Shield yourself, Jenny, we may be shooting debris out behind us."

Clenching her hands into fists, Kara dove at the wall, smashing into it with enough speed and power to plow through the solid granite. Dirt, dust, and stone chips plumed up behind the pair, all but obscuring jenny's vision as Kara and Rogue continued to slice through. There was only a brief wait before…

"We've reached the chamber!" Kara called out. Instantly there was a loud crashing sound then the scream of tortured metal. "Open!"

Jenny sped forward now, pausing only briefly to glance at the ripped edges of the opening Kara and Rogue had forced.

"Now what?" Rogue whispered. She was pressed against the inner wall of the chamber, her hands pressed to her temples. In the center of the chamber, setting on a pedestal encased in glass, was the Shard.

Even with the device Reed had constructed for her, Kara could feel the waves of depression flowing from the damaged artifact. She knew what Rogue, unprotected, had to be feeling.

"Now," Jenny took a deep breath and planted herself before the Shard as she answered. "you and Kara leave and seal the chamber and tunnel behind you."

"What?" Rogue looked between Jenny and Kara, her eyes wide with disbelief as Kara nodded.

"It's the only way, Rogue." Kara told her. "We've got to leave Jenny in here with the Shard. She's the only one that can handle it."

"But what if…."

"I fail?" Jenny's voice was already strained as she began to exert her will. "Then we've lost. Now get going, please!"

Kara grabbed Rogue and pulled her back through the ripped opening. Then, using her hands and heat vision, she pulled the ragged edges back together, wielding a perfect seam.

"Now we just wait?" Rogue demanded.

"No." Kara shook her head. "Now we fill in the tunnel." She held up a hand as Rogue opened her mouth to protest. "Just trust us. We don't like it either, but it is the only way to insure a least a margin of safety for those people topside."

Rogue looked at her for a long moment then nodded. Together, they started back to the surface, caving in the tunnel behind them.

Jenny waited until the sounds of the collapsing tunnel had moved off into the distance, becoming muffled by the tons of dirt and rock filling the empty space.

"It's just you and me now." She muttered towards the Shard. Gritting her teeth, she hurled blast that shattered the glass surrounding the Shard. Then, before her better sense caught up with her and made her turn tail and run, She sprang forward, grasping the Shard in her hands, it's jagged edges slicing into her palms. Without her ring and the memories it held, she had no way to tell that she was re-enacting a scene the Shard had seen and felt before. Jenny exerted her will, drawing more and more of the energy of the shard into herself.

Green bolts of lightning sprang from the shard, arcing throughout the small chamber, striking Jenny again and again…only to be absorbed with no damage taken.

Jenny gasped, falling to her knees as raw power filled her, threatening to overwhelm her, and yet still she continued to drain the Shard.

"Get everyone…" Kara was yelling as she burst from the ground, Rogue on her heels. "…clear." She finished weakly, her gaze taking in everyone that stood nearby.

She ignored Ben and Johnny, sparing only a quick glance to Dr. Strange and Linda as her gaze fell on the three youths.

Linda, completely unaware of the event taking place far below them, smiled.

"Kara, I believe you've met this Superboy, before." She nodded to the white faced youth. He was looking at Kara as if he had seen a ghost. "But these. These are Carrie and Karen. Your daughters."

Kara felt herself slumping and would have fallen had not Rogue caught her around the waist with an arm.

"You knew?" Kara looked at her friend, shock dulling her eyes. "This is what you've been doing?"

"Yeah." Rogue whispered softly. "Though I have to admit both Strange and I and Mon were a bit shocked to see Linda with these girls in tow. We went to rescue one, and found two."

For their part, Carrie and Karen were equally speechless. They had, in their own separate realities, witnessed the funeral of the woman that now stood before them. This woman that was an exact copy of the woman they had each called mother.

"No," Karen's analytical mind corrected automatically. This woman had been the original; their mothers had been the copies.

The surreal scene was shattered as the ground heaved, bringing Kara back to the present.

"Clear out!" She commanded. She turned to Rogue. "You too. I've got to stay here but there's no need…."

"Perhaps not." Rogue broke in. "But I'll be damned if I let you boss me around like that." She smiled, taking the sting out of her words, but her meaning was clear, there was no way she was going to leave without Kara.

Dr. Strange quickly ushered everyone away, putting more distance between them and the area directly above the chamber where Jenny wrestled with the Shard.

Kara frowned and started to order everyone back further when the ground erupted beneath her feet.

With a scream that could and did shatter glass for miles around, Jennifer Walters smashed up and out, her body shimmering with the green glow of energy that filled her.

"Jenny!" Rogue started forward, only to be caught by Kara.

"Keep back!" Jenny's voice was rough and distorted as if it were modulating up and down the scales. "I can't hold it! It's too much!"

"You have to hold it Jenny!" Kara called.

"No!" Her eyes gleaming wildly, Jenny swung her head back and forth. "Too much power!" Her voice held agony now.

She screamed again and then…went totally still.

"Jenny?" Rogue asked, cautiously.

"I can fix it!" Jenny's voice was the merest whisper. When she looked up, the wild look was still there. "I have to release it, but I can use the energy to fix everything!"

"Jenny, NO!" Kara stepped closer. "Jenny. Hold on to it, we'll think of something, but you can't use it that way."

"But I can!" Jenny almost sneered the words. "I can undo all the damage. I can recreate everything. I can …" She trailed off as Kara stepped closer.

"You can what, Jenny?" She asked. "Play God? Wipe out all that has happened so you can impose your perception of what should be?"

"Yes!" Jenny hissed. "I have the power to do it. Why shouldn't I? Isn't that what we are here for? To fix things?"

"Not at the expense of those you would destroy." Kara shook her head. Then, without taking her eyes from Jenny, she called out. "Linda! Come here!"

Instantly Linda was at Kara's side, her wings spread in alarm.

"Give me the ring." Kara told her.

"What?"

"The ring you took from Jenny. Give it to me. You probably put it in the inner pouch of your cape."

"How did you know…."Linda began as she let the wings fade once again in to a long red cape. She had the grace to blush slightly as Kara looked at her. "Of course, you had one as well, didn't you?" She fished around and then held the ring out to Kara.

Kara, after looking the ring over then tossed it to Jenny. Jenny instinctively reached out to catch it.

"Before you do anything, I would access the memories in that ring." Kara called out. "You once wondered how Hal could have done what he did. What you are suggesting is the exact same thing."

Jenny's eyes closed as her fingers closed around the ring. When they opened, they were clearer.

"Oh my god." She whispered. "I've got to get rid of it, Kara." The last was almost a whimper. "It's too much. It's burning me up."

Kara thought quickly.

"Filter it, Jenny." She said after a brief moment. "Filter it and put it back. Use it to cleanse and repair the Shard. Use it to create a new Great Battery!"

As Kara was talking, Rogue leapt into the hole Jenny had erupted from, reappearing and instant later carrying the Shard. At this point it was now nothing more than a lifeless green hunk of metal.

Rogue placed the Shard, pedestal and all, before Jenny and backed away once more.

Jenny looked at Kara for a moment and then with a final scream of pain, focused all the energy into a single, massive flow into the Shard…

End of _**A World Without Heroes**__** - Chapter Eleven.**_

_**Click here to go to the Epilogue**_


	12. Chapter 12

_A World Without Heroes_

In a world without heroes

There's nothing to be

It's no place for me

-_Music From the Elder_

_KISS_

Epilogue

As the emerald energy poured into the shard, it began to glow brighter and brighter.

"Close your eyes!" Kara called out, following her own advice. Already the glare had grown bright enough to bother even a Kryptonian's retinas. Now standing behind the girls, Rogue put a hand over their eyes and then closed her own. Johnny Storm and Ben Grim both averted their eyes, though they were determined to keep a watch on the perimeter.

For her part, Linda did not even bother looking away. She stared, fascinated, as the Shard, blazing a bright, brilliant green, began to melt.

As the power levels rose, she was mildly surprised to find her wings spreading of their own accord. Her eyes widened as, deep within the hellish energy, a face materialized. She smiled slightly as Wally looked out and…winked at her.

As abruptly as the glare had flare, it subsided. Kara, able to see the brightness fading through her eyelids, was the first to open her eyes. At first mere slits, then fully open.

"Rao!" She breathed.

There, standing before them, many times larger than the original Shard stood a new, Great Battery.

Even as she marveled, Kara could not help but think, as she had many times in the past, why a device created by super science on another world would resemble an old fashioned Earth Lantern, nor why the organization would take it's name from that same Lantern.

Her gaze drawn to the massive battery, it took a few moments for her to register the figure sprawled behind it.

"Jenny!" instantly she was at Jenny's side, feeling her neck for a pulse.

"I'm still alive." Jenny opened one eye. "But damn I'm tired." She whispered. "Just let me sleep for a couple of months straight and I'll be fine."

Despite her claim and expressed desire, Jenny levered herself up, turning onto her side and propping her head up on her hand.

"Ugly looking thing, isn't it?" She drawled.

"I think it's beautiful." Kara hugged her friend, tears streaming down her smiling face. "Just beautiful."

"Kara? We've got company!" Rogue called from the other side of the Battery.

Kara helped Jenny to her feet and, taking most of her weight on herself, moved quickly to the other side.

"OH!" Both Kara and Jenny stood, mouths hanging open. There, standing by the Battery, looking it over as if inspecting it for some type of flaw, stood a short blue man in floor length robes.

"A Guardian!" Kara breathed. "A Guardian of Oa!"

Turning his attention to Kara and Jenny, the little man allowed one eyebrow to ride up Spock fashion.

"It is true I am of Oa." He stated in perfect English. "I am, however, not a Guardian, whatever that is."

He waved a hand at the Battery.

"We felt this come into being." He explained. "I was sent to examine it and to discover it's nature and why it seems to be calling to us. Its energy source is similar to our own, I must admit."

Smiling, Kara stepped away from Jenny.

"She's the one you need to speak to." She told the man, pointing to Jenny.

"Kara?" Jenny looked from the man to her friend, to the man, and back again.

"Don't worry." Kara smiled. "Just remember, unlike The Green Lanterns of my reality, the Guardians of Oa are not your bosses. But I think a new Green Lantern Corps would do this Probability some good. And I can't think of a better place to put a Great Battery than on Oa!"

"Well, I guess it's time I got back." Linda said. "I imagine Charlie is worried sick." Like the others, she had stood for a moment, staring with a mixture of amusement and awe as Jenny spoke with the Oan. She had then approached Kara.

"Before you go, answer something for me. Kara responded. "What are you doing here anyway? Not that I'm not glad to see you!"

"I asked for her assistance." Dr. Strange broke in, walking up to the two women. "I was under the mistaken impression that your clone would have taken an identity similar to Linda Danvers. It never occurred to me that she would simply have been herself."

"Last time I saw her, she had dyed her hair brown." Kara stated, startling them both. "She felt it would be better if she hid her resemblance to me."

Both Strange and Linda looked at her then turned to look at the girls.

"Uh-oh." Linda breathed.

"What?" Kara demanded. "What do you mean uh-oh? I don't like uh-oh."

"It seems that each of these girls remember their mother as being blonde. They remember that she kept a low profile, knowing full well that your enemies might try to use her to get at you. But she never hid from the girls who or what she was."

"So it's possible that neither of them are the daughter this body recalls having?" Kara asked. Then she held up a hand. "Don't answer that. It doesn't matter." She looked over to where the girls stood beside Rogue, their eyes wide as they took in everything around them. Though they tried to hide it, their glances kept coming back towards her. Shy, almost fearful.

"It doesn't matter." She stated again.

"There is one other thing, Kara." Linda told her. She was extremely uncomfortable. This was the part she had dreaded. "It's about Querl Dox."

"Querl?" Kara's eyes narrowed slightly. She watched as Linda unbuckled a yellow belt from around her waist and handed it to her. "This is Querl's utility belt!" She exclaimed.

"Yes. Yes it is." Linda nodded. "He would have wanted you to have it." And she proceeded to tell Kara the story. Leaving nothing out.

"In the end, he thought I was you." Linda said, nearing the end of her narrative. "The last thing he said was that he loved you and always had. And the last thing her heard was your voice telling him that you loved him." Tears were streaming down her eyes as she grew silent. Yet they were nothing compared to the streams that poured from Kara's eyes.

Heaving sobs escaped as Kara fought to deal with the raw emotions that Linda had just laid bare. Moving closer, Linda let Kara lean on her shoulder for support while she tried to regain control.

"Kara?"

Linda looked up to see the concern in Rogue's face. She shook her head slightly and motioned towards the girls with her eyes. Rogue nodded sharply and, with a last concerned glance towards Kara, turned to make sure that the girls were paying attention to her, not Kara.

"He…"Kara gulped air. "He said these were the daughters we could have had? What did he mean by that?"

"Most probably that, in other realities, realities that ceased to exist long ago, analogs of himself joined with your clones to have those children." Strange explained softly.

"I don't understand. Why would Querl and the clone…" She trailed off, unable to finish. She knew the answer to that. She herself had always been too busy to take a permanent lover. The clone, with her memories and her personality, had no such restrictions. Querl might have seen in the clone a possibility to obtain that which she could not have given him.

"Kara, it hurts, I know….", Linda started, hoping that she could help by trying to get Kara to focus on the girls. Kara did not give her the chance.

"You know?" Kara's face twisted with undisguised anger. "What do you know? Do you know what is' like be dead? Do you know what it's like to be forgotten? To be replaced by a mere slip of a girl? Damnit Linda, you're barely older than those girls. What can you possibly Know?"

Linda's first inclination was to get angry. Then, for an instant, her features softened. Kara was not, she realized, really angry with her. She was just the focus. Yet…. perhaps it was time to play Kara's own game.

"I know that you have two girls over there that are frightened." Linda snapped. Stepping up so that her face was mere inches from Kara's. "I know that they have lost everything they ever had. Now all they have is you." She took a breathed and plunged on, not giving Kara a chance to respond. "I know that it's time you stopped with the self pity and moved on. I had nothing to do with what happened to you. I did not ask to replace you. My reality did not ask to replace yours. Those decisions were made God, Rao, or what ever you want to call it or them. But you're here now and you have a whole new world that needs you and the others. And you have two girls that need a mother!"

She stepped back and, hands on her hips in a classic Kara stance, looked Kara over.

"Those girls and the people of this world need to see you in control, Kara. Not wallowing in self –pity." She Looked over at Dr. Strange. "Doctor, if you would be so kind as to conjure up the costume you had Rogue wearing." She held out a hand, not allowing him to refuse. And instant later, She was shoving the bundle into Kara's hands. "Now be what you were meant to be. A hero. Those girls need to see you as they remember you and this world needs to see the leader of the team that just saved them from destruction. Go change!"

For a long moment Kara merely stood there, staring at Linda as if seeing her for the first time. Then, without a word, she disappeared, moving as speeds too fast for normal eyes to follow.

"Do you think that was wise, Linda?" Strange asked.

"Maybe not." Linda admitted. "But she still holds a lot of anger about what happened to her and her reality. She needs to deal with it, not simply curse it." She sighed, looking over to the girls. "Ever since I learned about Kara, I've admired her. I still do. The fact that I know she's as human as the rest of us hasn't changed that." She shrugged and, turning, touched Strange's shoulder. "I really have to go now." Strange merely nodded.

"It's time for me to go home now." She said as she approached Rogue and the girls. She knew that, unless they had been purposely listening, they would not have heard the exchange between her and Kara. The tight look Rogue gave her told her that at least she had been listening.

"Linda?" It was Karen that spoke hesitantly "I don't think she likes us."

"Nonsense!" Linda forced a smile. "We just came at a busy time and I just told her about her friend."

"The green guy?" Carrie asked.

"Yes," Linda nodded, feeling as if a fist were constricting around her heart. She looked up at Rogue.

"I'll help anyway I can." Rogue said without waiting for Linda to speak. "You know that." She put a hand on each of the girls' shoulders. Linda nodded.

"I'll be back to visit and, who knows, maybe you can come visit me, some day."

Both girls nodded and then rushed to her, hugging her tight.

"Thank you, Linda." Carrie said in a rush, tears sparkling in her eyes.

Linda smiled as she backed away and let her wings unfurl.

"Now I'm off, I got a lot of paperwork to get done!" And, in a flash of fire, she was gone.

"Heads up, we have company coming!"

Rogue turned to where Superboy still stood with Lois. He was looking up in the sky, his eye's squinted slightly indicating that he was most probably using his telescopic vision.

Rather than look to see what he was seeing, Rogue took a moment to study Lois. The middle-aged woman, her black hair streaked with liberal amounts of gray, was holding up admirably. Of course that was to be expected. From what she knew, Lois had always been a sturdy woman. Any woman that married a hero such as her husband had been would have to be sturdy. She would have had to live with the real fear that, one day, she would become a widow.

She looked back to the girls and saw that they were looking up as well. She glanced up and searched the sky with her telescopic vision until she found what the others were seeing. She smiled.

Streaking downward in a blur of red and blue was Mon El. Jenny, she knew, was in for a big surprise.

No longer a boy in his late teens, Mon now appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. The result, she knew, of merging the younger Mon with an older analog. He would be awhile sorting through all the memories he now possessed. He would have to deal with memories of events that, as far as he was concerned had never happened. He would have to deal with remember a thousand year stay in the Phantom Zone, when he knew full well that he had not been stuck in the zone more than twenty years. Her eyes widened as she realized that he was not alone.

"Rogue!" He called as he lighted nearby. His voice was deeper now, his face a bit lined with experience. "You're okay!" He stopped and looked at the girls, shock evident. "Two?"

"Two." Rogue smiled. "Carrie, Karen, This is Mon El."

"El?" Both girls perked up. "A relative?" They looked from Rogue to Mon and back again.

"Not really, I'm afraid." Mon replied. His eyes had landed on Superboy and he stopped.

"Kale?" He looked confused for a moment as his mind tried to sort out the memories. "I remember you." He said finally, grimacing.

"You are the other Superboy." He went on. "You were there when we fought the Anti-monitor!" Again the grimace. "When the other me fought, that is."

A squeal from the girls brought everyone's attention back to them.

Rogue had completely forgotten that Mon had not been alone. Now she was reminded as she watched the watched the white, shorthaired dog trying to like both girls at the same time.

"Krypto?" Rogue asked Mon, watching the girls and the dog.

"Yes." Mon nodded, turning away from Superboy. "The people in Kandor finally discovered a way to reverse the effects of the devolution."

Krypto was romping around the girls, who were laughing with delight, when he stopped in his tracks, his eyes riveted on the young man standing beside Mon. Moving cautiously, he approached.

"He's trying to decide if you are who he things you are." Mon said in response to a quizzical look from Superboy.

"Who does he think I am?" Superboy asked.

"His Superboy."

Krypto approached Superboy, sniffing at his hand. His tail wagged a few times and then drooped. He turned away, perking up almost instantly as he rejoined the girls.

"I guess I must smell different." Superboy remarked in an almost whimsical manner.

Mon shrugged and then turned, stiffening as he caught sight of Jenny, still locked in conversation with the Oan

"Excuse me." He told the others absently as he walked towards her.

"So what happens now?" Lois asked, strain evident in her voice.

"Now we rebuild!"

They all turned, even the girls, to see Kara standing behind them. She wore her old costume now and, judging from the looks on the girls face, Linda had been right to suggest it.

"You'll have to start with out us, I'm afraid." Jenny called out as both she and Mon approached. There was no sign of the Oan.

"A hologram." Jenny explained. She waved a hand back towards the newly fashioned Battery. "The Oans have agreed to care for the Batter and start a new Green Lantern Corps, based on the one detailed in my Ring's memory." She said. "But first Mon and I are going to have to take it to Oa."

"That shouldn't take to long." Rogue quipped, smiling.

"We don't plan on hurrying back." Mon told her, his eyes twinkling. "Jenny and I are going to take a bit of a vacation."

"We should be back in about a week." Jenny finished. After hugs all around, Jenny used her energy to lift the Battery and within moments, she and Mon were dwindling into the sky.

"Lois, Kal." Kara turned to the two. "You are both welcome to stay. Rao knows we are going to need all the help we can get to pull this world out of the Ashes. Leaving them to think it over, she finally turned to the girls.

Carrie and Karen looked at her somewhat shyly. Between them, Krypto stood, wagging his tail.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about." Kara told them. She looked up and saw hesitation in Rogue's eyes. Well, might as well get that out of the way. "All of us." She reached out and pulled Rogue close as she moved closer to the girls.

"But I can tell you this right now. You are welcome to stay with us. I can't and won't try to take the place of your mothers, but…. well…. Welcome home, girls!" She held out her arms.

There was only the briefest of hesitations before both girls rushed to her, embracing her. Over their heads, her eyes once again glittering with unshed tears, Kara met Rogue's eyes.

"I always wanted a family." Rogue whispered, tears in her own eyes.

"You've got one, love. You've got one."

Kara buried her face in the hair of the girls as she hugged them close.

"Welcome home!"

_TheBeginning!_


End file.
